two queens for two decades of friendship

September 30, 2024

15

Doña Letizia has been in the Royal House for twenty years, ten as Princess of Asturias and another ten as Queen of Spain. She has attended royal weddings, enthronements, funerals and some notable birthdays, but in general she is not a fan of royal summits. However, that has not been an impediment to creating strong ties of friendship, as far as is known, especially with Máxima from the Netherlands and Rania from Jordan. The relationship between the Royal Families of Jordan and Spain has been close since the previous generation and Mrs. Letizia has continued to expand it. Now, when a state trip begins that will take the Kings to the Middle Eastern country from October 5 to 7, where they will be received by the Hashemite Kings, we remember what the relationship has been like between the two queens who met twenty years ago and who have achieved an unusual milestone in royal agendas: seeing each other for three years in a row.

two queens for two decades of friendship — The last time they met was in the summer of 2023, the good harmony and closeness between them was evident, but the Jordanian queen emphasized it in a statement she made to HELLO!

2004: Rania of Jordan at the Kings’ wedding

They are practically from the same generation and have many interests in common, which has made it easier for the Spanish queen and the Jordanian to maintain a friendship that began twenty years ago, when Queen Rania traveled to Madrid in May 2004 to be present at the State wedding of the future Kings of Spain, occasion in which royal houses from all over the world traveled to Spain to meet the wife of the heir to the Crown. Rania of Jordan attended the wedding with her mother-in-law, Princess Muna, and her appearance was one of the great anecdotes of the day, since the Hashemite queen aroused international interest by choosing a look with which it is not an exaggeration to say that she did history.

Rania from Jordan at the wedding of Don Felipe and Doña Letizia

When Rania of Jordan was at the wedding of Don Felipe and Doña Letizia, King Abdullah had been reigning for five years, after the death of his father, the remembered King Hussein, in 1999. She was known as the youngest queen in the world and was still beginning her path to becoming what she has been for the last two decades: a recognized leader in the East and the West. Daughter of the Palestinian diaspora, university student and with an ambitious professional career, Rania did not expect to be queen, since when she married Abdullah he was a prince who had been named heir to the Hashemite throne. At that time Abadalá and Rania had had three of their four children: Crown Prince Hussein and Princesses Iman and Salma. The little one, Prince Hashem, was born eight months later, in January 2005 and when he turned 18 he joined his parents’ international agenda precisely in Spain.

Don Felipe and Doña Letizia with Kings Abdalla and Rania of Jordan, at the first wedding of the then crown prince, Hamzah, son of the late King Hussein and Queen Noor. It was during the honeymoon of the kings of Spain, in May 2004.

After the historic wedding in the Almudena Cathedral, Don Felipe and Doña Letizia began a honeymoon in different towns in Spain before heading to Jordan as guests of another royal wedding, that of Prince Hamzah, son of Queen Noor and then heir to the Hashemite throne. This was the occasion in which King Abdullah met the woman who in ten years would be queen of Spain and Don Felipe and Doña Letizia took advantage of the trip to tour Petra.

2008: Guests at the Zarzuela Palace

Queen Letizia and Queen Rania met again in the fall of 2008 at the Zarzuela Palace, which does not mean that the Spanish and Hashemite Royal Family had not seen each other in four years. At that time, it was Juan Carlos I who occupied the head of state and together with Queen Sofia they had traveled to Jordan in 2006 to sign the so-called ‘Amman Declaration’, with which they reinforced their role as pioneers in promoting understanding between civilizations. . This meeting in Madrid had the objective of revalidating Spain’s support for the political and economic reforms that Abdullah II began to promote in 2001 and that the Spanish authorities then considered an example for the region.

2010: Royal Wedding in Sweden

The royal wedding between Princess Victoria of Sweden and Daniel Westling, on June 19, 2010 at St. Nicholas Cathedral in Stockholm, once again brought together the main members of all the royal houses in Sweden, since the one getting married was the first in line of succession to the Swedish throne. Rania from Jordan again attended the wedding alone

2011: Official trip to Jordan

They were still princes of Asturias when in April 2011 Don Felipe and Doña Letizia visited Jordan at the invitation of the Hashemite kings. On that visit, Don Felipe highlighted “the relations of affection and friendship that have always linked Spain with Jordan” and they went to the University of Jordan to inaugurate the Spanish Resource Center, since Spanish is one of the most in-demand languages. . “The historical and cultural relations between the Arab world and Spain make the Spanish language a unique vehicle to develop ties between the Middle East and Latin America, expanding the possibilities of dialogue and communication between geographically distant points,” added the current head of the State.

2015: First meeting of the reign of Felipe VI

In November 2015, when Felipe VI had already been proclaimed King before the Cortes Generales, Rania and Abdullah of Jordan landed at the State Pavilion at the Adolfo Suárez Madrid-Barajas airport on a working visit. That night the Kings of Spain offered a dinner at the El Pardo Palace in which Don Juan Carlos and Doña Sofía were also present, as well as Prince Faisal of Jordan, brother of the Hashemite king and with strong connections with our country, among others. things because he liked to spend some of his holidays in Marbella. In this meeting it could already be seen that the meeting between them was more friendly than formal.

The following appointments were in London and around the British Royal House

The death of Elizabeth II, after 70 years on the British throne, brought together an unusual number of royals at Westminster Abbey in September 2022. A bitter meeting, but a meeting nonetheless.

Elizabeth's State Funeral on September 19, 2022 in London — Elizabeth’s State Funeral on September 19, 2022 in London

The year they saw each other twice

In 2023 the meeting in London was repeated on the occasion of the Coronation of Charles III. It was on May 6 when a ceremony was held in Westminster Abbey, witnessed by two thousand guests, and which ended with Charles and Camilla greeting for the first time as Kings of the United Kingdom from the Balcony of Buckingham Palace.

Only a month after the meeting in London, the Hashemite kings landed in Madrid, it was on that occasion when Queen Rania explained exclusively to HELLO! What is the relationship between them?. “It is always a pleasure to see Their Majesties King Felipe and Queen Letizia, and it was fantastic to spend the day with them at the Royal Palace in Madrid. My husband and I deeply value our friendship with the King and Queen, as well as the long relationship between our two countries. It was a special honor to spend the anniversary of His Majesty’s proclamation with them, and I am very grateful that they took time on that special day to welcome us.”

‘Queen Letizia is a very warm host and a passionate supporter of the causes she cares about. No matter how long we’ve been apart, we always have a lot to say to each other.

Rania of Jordan

They just saw each other in London but the joy of meeting was evident: two friends who enjoy “catching up.” Aside from the usual official agenda, Queen Letizia wanted to share with Rania of Jordan the artisan work that is preserved thanks to the National Heritage Workshop Schools and Employment Workshops.

“It was very inspiring to see firsthand the devotion of the Spanish people to their heritage and how proud they are of their roots,” the Hashemite queen told HOLA! after that visit. Queen Rania also spoke about her meeting with Felipe VI’s wife: “It was a pleasure to catch up with Queen Letizia about the fantastic work she is doing in Spain. She is a very affectionate host and a passionate defender of the causes she loves. worry. No matter how long we’ve been apart, we always have a lot to say to each other.

In 2023, the Kings of Jordan were at the Royal Palace of Madrid and asked Don Felipe and Doña Letizia to 'return their visit'. Also in the image is the youngest son of the Hashemite monarchs, Prince Hashem, who participated for the first time in his parents' international agenda.

That official visit, the last that the Hashemite kings have made to our country, also marked the debut of Prince Hashem, who had just come of age, to the international agenda of his parents. Hashem of Jordan, due to the position he occupies in the line of succession, will be one of the strong men in the future, a support for the crown prince, Hussein, who has just become a father, making Queen Rania a grandmother for the first time. It was on this occasion when the Jordanians again invited Felipe VI and Queen Letizia to make the trip in October 2024.

Source link

two queens for two decades of friendship