The queen consort of Jordan, Rania Al-Abdullah, celebrates her 50th birthday on August 31. On the occasion of this special day, we invite you to take a look at some of the most curious facts about the life and activism of the monarch.
She is of Palestinian origin
Rania Yassin was born on August 31, 1970, in Kuwait City. She is the daughter of Palestinian parents from the city of Tulkarem, in the West Bank, who had to go into exile first to the Persian Gulf and then to Amman. The monarch has two brothers.
In July 2014, Rania publicly condemned the death of Palestinian civilians as a result of Israel’s attacks on the Gaza Strip.
“Gaza is in shock. All the people of Gaza want is what each of us wants. The opportunity to live a normal life with dignity and security and to build a future in which their children can grow up, dream and fulfill their ideals. We have to allow them to do so,” she said.
She is the most beautiful queen on the planet, literally
The famous British plastic surgeon Julian de Silva analyzed the shape and size of the face, eyes, nose, eyebrows, lips and jaw of women from royal families around the world and concluded that Rania is the most beautiful living member of royalty.
The facial features of the Jordanian monarch approximate the so-called golden number, a formula for physical perfection developed by the ancient Greeks and popularized by the Renaissance genius Leonardo da Vinci. De Silva stated that Rania has a perfection ranking of 88.9%.
She met Abdullah II at a Citibank office
Rania Yassin studied Administration at the American University in Cairo. After graduation, she worked at Apple and then Citibank in Amman. At Citibank, she met the commander of the Jordanian Special Forces and also the king’s son, Abdullah II bin Al-Hussein. Six months later, they announced their relationship.
“I looked at her and I knew that she would be the only one, I knew that I would not need another woman,” Abdullah himself revealed in an interview.
The couple married in June 1993 and have four children: Crown Prince Hussein, Princess Iman, Princess Salma and Prince Hashem.
She is a true icon of style
Rania is admired not only for her charitable activities but also for her elegance and impeccable taste. In 2003, she received the title of World Queen of Elegance, and, in 2005, she was named the third most beautiful woman in the world by Harper’s Bazaar magazine. In addition, the legendary clothing designer Giorgio Armani confessed that the Queen of Jordan is her muse.
Here are some of the most stunning looks of the Arab monarch:
She is also a writer
Aside from her political and social activism, the Queen of Jordan is also the author of four children’s books: The King’s Gift, Eternal Beauty, Maha of the Mountains, and The Sandwich Swap.
Did you know Queen Rania of Jordan has written four children's books? https://t.co/KAvmIj3iNK pic.twitter.com/HkqKtZxcxZ
— Tatler (@Tatlermagazine) March 17, 2018
Rania’s most famous work, The Sandwich Swap, illustrated by artist Tricia Tusa, was inspired by the monarch’s own childhood and tells the story of two girls, Lily and Salma, They discuss the sandwiches their mothers have prepared for them.
