The First Royal Wedding of 2023 Was an Intimate Ceremony. Here’s What to Know About Jordan’s Princess Iman
The eldest daughter of Queen Rania and King Abdullah II of Jordan—princess Iman bint Abdullah II—got married Sunday wearing a white Dior wedding dress with lace cuffed sleeves and a diamond tiara. The princess and her husband, Jameel Alexander Thermiotis, read a verse from the Quran after signing the marriage document. They also used a sword to cut the cake and walked through a flag salute at the ceremony, which took place at Beit Al-Urdon Palace, a private residence of the Jordanian royal family.
In photos her mother posted to social media ahead of the wedding, Princess Iman is seen wearing her mother’s tiara and bridal belt. (Queen Rania of Jordan wore the tiara during two trips to the U.K., which included a banquet with the late Queen Elizabeth II, and the belt during her own 1993 wedding to King Abdullah II of Jordan.)
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Children grow up fast. At least that’s what Queen Rania of Jordan appears to be thinking; a montage of videos she posted to her Instagram on March 5 show her cradling the princess in her arms shortly after giving birth alongside clips of her taking baby steps and wearing wings as a toddler.
“The first time I held my baby girl, I knew my life would never be the same. In a week, she will be a bride,” Queen Rania wrote on Instagram. “My precious Iman, I am so happy for you and so proud of everything that you are.”
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[video id=hnVSzuHS autostart="viewable"]Who is Princess Iman?
Princess Iman, 26, is the eldest daughter of Queen Rania and King Abdullah II of Jordan. She is the first among her siblings to marry; her brother, Prince Al Hussein bin Abdullah II, will marry Rajwa Al-Saif in June.
The princess completed elementary and high school in Jordan, graduating from the International Academy in Amman in 2014.
She began her undergraduate studies at Georgetown University, before transferring and graduating from the Parson’s School of Design in New York.
Iman has often joined her mother on royal outings in Jordan and to the U.K., France, Italy, China, and Japan, according to Insider.
She has ridden horses competitively.
What to know about the wedding
The princess married Jameel Alexander Thermiotis, a New York financier who was born in Caracas, Venezuela and is of Greek descent, on March 12. They were engaged last July.
The celebration came a week after the Royal Hashemite Court shared the March 12 wedding date.
The event was reportedly an intimate outdoor ceremony, with blooming white-flowered trees.
What to know about the princess’ family
Over the last few decades, Queen Rania has earned a reputation for her advocacy work around international human rights, education, and refugee rights. In 2004, TIME chose her as one of it’s 100 Most Influential People of the Year. Her family is of Palestinian descent, like many Jordanians, and she was born and raised in Kuwait.
A family tree on the family’s websites traces King Abdullah II’s lineage back to Prophet Muhammad.