An opulent palace, a pitch-perfect fashion sense, and hob-nobbing with royal families
around the world. Queen Rania lives a glamorous life fit for, well, a queen.
Members of royal families understand that their primary responsibility is to serve as
spokespeople for and symbols of their countries. Thus, even those who wield little or no political
power themselves are often called to visit foreign leaders to nurture long standing
relationships between their countries or promote common interests. This often involves meeting
and working with other royals — and sometimes meeting the same ones repeatedly over the years.
Upon marrying into Jordan's royal family, Queen Rania threw herself into her new duties. And among
the many high-profile royals she's gotten to know is Queen Consort Camilla. In 2021,
then-Prince Charles and Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, made Jordan the destination of their
first post-pandemic overseas trip. Per People, while Prince Charles focused his discussions in
Jordan on climate change and women's rights, Queen Rania echoed these themes by driving
the Duchess of Cornwall to visit a center for families and children in her Tesla. And in 2022,
Queen Rania visited Buckingham Palace at the invitation of Queen Consort Camilla
to take part in a reception to raise awareness of violence against women, per Queen Rania's website.
Jordan's royal family has close ties to Britain and the British royal family. King Abdullah II not
only graduated from the Royal Military Academy in Sandhurst, where Prince Harry and Prince
William studied, but he also served in Britain's military as well as Jordan's. And per the archived
Prince of Wales website, King Charles has made multiple official visits to Jordan over the years.
Because of these longstanding ties, Queen Rania has gotten to know several members
of Britain's royal family. Having been thrust unexpectedly into her royal role,
she saw the late Queen Elizabeth as a role model.
"And I really looked up to her. She, to me, she is the queen of the world."
Deeply aware of the potential impacts of climate change on her country,
Queen Rania added that she's grown to admire King Charles' longstanding commitment to
building awareness about environmental issues, telling ITV News that she considered him one
of the leading figures in the world currently fighting for the planet.
To help promote his work, Queen Rania serves on the governing council for The Earthshot Prize,
a global environmental prize and initiative founded by Prince William
and The Royal Foundation to promote innovations that will heal the planet.
In addition to building relationships with other royals, Queen Rania is also an important
strategic ally of the United States. Queen Rania and her husband have made multiple
visits to the White House, which allowed them the opportunity to meet with several
presidents. A vocal advocate for building bonds between the Middle East and the west,
Queen Rania met with then-First Lady Laura Bush in 2001 to discuss humanitarian measures following
the terrorist attacks of 9/11. Per Emirates Woman, she became fond of Michelle Obama and
posted an affectionate tribute to her on Instagram as the Obamas prepared to leave the White House.
King Abdullah II and Queen Rania also visited the Trump White House twice, in 2017 and 2018.
During the couples' 2018 White House visit, Queen Rania and Melania Trump raised eyebrows
by both showing up in pale pink ensembles — Melania in a cap-sleeved leather dress,
Queen Rania in a flowing top and wide-legged matching trousers. The couple returned in 2021,
this time to meet President Joe Biden and his wife Dr. Jill Biden for the first time.
One of the perks of being a queen is the opportunity to live and work in a
luxurious royal residence — and the sprawling historic structure that King Abdullah II and
Queen Rania call home is exactly what you'd imagine a Middle Eastern royal
residence to be. The palace was built in 1927 for Prince Abdullah bin Al Hussein,
who named the structure Raghadan based on the Arabic word for a decent life.
Over the years, the palace has not only served as a home for Jordan's royal family but also
as the site of high-profile state meetings and cultural events. Foreign dignitaries and
other visitors to the palace — especially those with an appreciation for traditional
Islamic art and design — are in for a treat. The structure incorporates traditional arched
windows and carved columns, elaborate wood carvings, and stained-glass windows modeled
after those of the al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem. While Queen Rania and her family no longer live
in Raghadan Palace full-time, she still has her official offices on the palace compound.
"If I went to a fortune teller and they told me that this was gonna be my life,
I would ask for my money back."
Queen Rania never set out to be a queen or a celebrity. But once thrust into the
royal limelight, she seemed to take to it naturally. Her good looks and
striking sense of style turned her into an instant celebrity,
and avid people-watchers began keeping tabs on her every fashion choice.
Over time, fashion enthusiasts began to notice a few patterns in Queen Rania's
fashion strategy. As noted by Town & Country, she tends to lean toward monochromatic outfits
with occasional accents in other colors. She also doesn't shy away from heels: There are
numerous photos of Queen Rania in stiletto heels, often making her appear taller than her husband.
While it's obvious that Queen Rania enjoys fashion and has established herself as a style icon,
she never wanted her appearance to define her. Queen Rania has used her love of fashion as a
way to share her culture with the world. She frequently wears traditional Middle Eastern
dresses to high-profile formal events, as well as pieces by Middle Eastern designers. During
her visit to Istanbul in 2018, Queen Rania wore a black-and-red dress by Iraqi designer
Raghda Tapponi. It's impossible to confirm whether she chooses these designers simply
because she likes them or because she wants to celebrate her region's culture
and creativity — but in either case, she's shining a bright light on talent close to home.
Looking at Queen Rania's website, you'd have no idea she was a millionaire many times over.
Instead, you'll find copious information on her work advocating for child welfare and education,
women's rights, technological innovation, and international
cooperation and cultural understanding. Along with information about the many high-profile
boards she serves on and the books she's written. During her interviews,
she tactfully keeps the focus on her philanthropic initiatives rather than on her lifestyle.
"In order to really represent it,
you have to get to know what the issues are and really try to address them."
But numbers don't lie, and it's clear even to casual observers that Queen Rania's fabulous
wardrobe doesn't come cheap. Marrying into a royal family definitely has its perks, and among them
is access to plenty of cash. King Abdullah II, is thought to have a net worth of $750 million,
and his father, the late King Hussein, was known for his lavish lifestyle and his collection of
sports cars, according to The Guardian. And while King Abdullah II intentionally keeps a lower
profile than his father, neither he nor Queen Rania is living a life of austerity. According
to Celebrity Net Worth, Queen Rania herself is thought to have a net worth of about $35 million.
No royal wedding would be complete without a high-drama wedding dress. Royal brides know
that not just any cute dress will do — it needs to be special enough for a ceremony
with world leaders in attendance. And because the bride's choice of dress will no doubt be
endlessly scrutinized, it must send the right message about the royal family and the wearer.
For her wedding dress, Rania Al-Yassin also paid homage to past royal traditions. She
chose to have her gown made by Bruce Oldfield, a favorite designer of the late Princess Diana
of Wales. In designing this latest royal dress, Oldfield took his inspiration from
Middle Eastern royal traditions, basing his design on the formal Syrian court
dresses on display at London's Victoria and Albert Museum. The dress featured a long,
full skirt and a bolero jacket, both embellished with traditional motifs embroidered in gold.
The wedding between then-Prince Abdullah and Rania Al-Yassin was every bit the
high-glamor event one would expect of a royal wedding. Their wedding day was
declared a national holiday in Jordan and the celebration was attended by royals
from all around the world, and both the bride and groom were dressed to impress.
But astute royal watchers noticed one traditional touch was conspicuously absent:
Al-Yassin was not wearing the expected royal tiara. As noted by The National,
brides marrying into royal families traditionally wear jewelry from their families' collections at
their weddings, then switch to pieces from the royal family's collection following the
ceremony. A commoner from a middle-class family, Al-Yassin did not have a family jewelry collection
at her disposal, and while she certainly could have borrowed a tiara from her future in-laws,
her choice to not wear a tiara showed the world that she wouldn't turn her back on her roots.
While Queen Rania certainly could have afforded a team of nannies to care for
her children, she embraced her role as a hands-on mother. She told Oprah:
"Eighty percent of my life is normal like any other mother. I worry about my children,
if they're doing all right. I worry that my husband is doing well."
Her four children are now mostly grown — and two of them,
Princess Iman and Crown Prince Hussein, are engaged to be married,
which means she will soon take on a new role as mother and mother-in-law of the bride.
Queen Rania seems determined to be a supportive mother-in-law. She wrote on Instagram:
"I didn't think it was possible to hold so much joy in my heart! Congratulations to my eldest
Prince Hussein and his beautiful bride-to-be, Rajwa. Excited to welcome my third daughter,
Al Hussein's bride-to-be, Rajwa, to the family! We're so happy for you both."
Queen Rania didn't limit her support to kind words: She also gifted her
future daughter-in-law a pair of her own earrings,
rose gold hoops embellished with 184 round brilliant-cut white diamonds.
The bride-to-be was spotted wearing the earrings at a celebration for Queen Rania's 52nd birthday.