“Our family has never been happier”

The birth of a child is one of the most special sensations and is only comparable to the arrival of a grandchild into the world. King Abdullah II (62) and Rania of Jordan (53), who this year celebrated 25 years on the throne, became grandparents this weekend, when the daughter of the heir to the throne, Hussein (30), and Princess Rajwa (30), was born.

Rania of Jordan herself celebrated the birth of her granddaughter on social media: “Praise God for his greatest gifts… You have brightened our lives with our precious granddaughter, Iman. May God protect her.. Congratulations to Hussein and Rajwa, and may God fill your lives with blessings and joy.”

King Abdullah II also wrote, emotionally: “Praise be to God who gave us our first granddaughter, Iman bint Al-Hussein. I congratulate Al-Hussein and Rajwa Al-Azizan on their newborn babyWe ask God to give her good growth and protect her. You enlightened our family“.

Iman bint Al-Hussein is named after the heir’s sister, Princess Iman (27), the second of the four children of the monarch and the queen. The heir to the throne and the princess have brought their first child into the world after marrying on June 1 last year. The religious ceremony was held at Zahran Palace in Amman and the reception took place at Al Husseiniya Palace. The wedding brought together a large part of European and international royalty, such as King Juan Carlos and Queen Sofia; King Willem and Queen Maxima of the Netherlands with Princess Amalia; or William of England and Kate Middleton.

“I have changed for the better. It is a great blessing to have found my life partner. Marriage has helped me to be calmer. We are happy and excited about this new stage, everything will change with the children. My family is also very excited and my mother (Queen Rania) has already started buying things. It is very nice,” said the father of the child in a recent interview with the Arabic television Al Arabiya.

Rania’s first photos with her granddaughter

Following the initial reactions to the birth of the baby, the first photos of the happy grandparents with the little girl arrived on Saturday afternoon. On Instagram, Rania posted: “Little Iman, you already have a big place in my heart. Our joy for you knows no bounds. Iman, you now have control of my heart. Our family has never been happier!”

The photos shared by the Queen were taken from the hospital, where Prince Hussein’s three siblings also travelled. Iman, Hashem (19) and Salma (23) posed with their brother’s daughter, very excited. Hussein himself could not hide his smile of happiness as he held his daughter in his arms and was surrounded by his entire family.