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Daily Mirror
Daily Mirror
Jennifer Newton

Lavish life of Prince William's pal Crown Prince Hussein as he ditches bachelor days

He is finally ditching his bachelor days by tying the knot in a lavish royal wedding attended by the Prince and Princess of Wales.

Crown Prince Hussein of Jordan is marrying his fiancee Rajwa Al Saif at the Zahran Palace in Amman later today.

Hussein, 28, is the eldest son of King Abdullah and Queen Rania of Jordan, making him a future King like his counterpart and wedding guest, Prince William.

But who is the Instragram-loving prince and why is he pals with our own heir to the throne? Here we take a look...

Early days

Born Hussein bin Abdullah in June 1994, he is the oldest of King Abdullah and Queen Rania's four children.

Crown Prince Hussein of Jordan - who is getting married (APAImages/REX/Shutterstock)

He has three siblings - Princess Iman, Princess Salma and Prince Hashem - and they are all part of the second-oldest ruling dynasty in the world after the Imperial House of Japan.

Hussein was just four when his father became King of Jordan and he was named heir apparent in 2004.

Five years later in 2009, he was formally awarded the title of Crown Prince in a royal decree issued by the King.

William with the Crown Prince in Jerash during his visit to Jordan in 2018 (Daily Mirror)

Hussein completed his early education in Jordan before gaining a degree in International History at Georgetown University in Washington DC in 2016.

In 2017, he completed his training at the Sandhurst Military Academy in the UK following in the footsteps of his father as well as Princes William and Harry.

Insta-life

Now, Hussein is a captain in the Jordanian Army and also carries out royal engagements on behalf of his parents.

Crown Prince Hussein with his parents Queen Rania and King Abdullah with the late Elizabeth II (Getty Images)

He is also a qualified helicopter pilot and has attended events at the United Nations as well as the World Economic Forum.

Many of his fans keep up-to-date with his life on his very active Instagram account, where he has racked up more than four million followers.

On his account, he mixes photos of his official duties with more candid family snaps - and even shared a photo of him with his parents and the late Elizabeth II.

There are also images of him enjoying games of football, riding his motorbike and playing the guitar.

Pals with William

Hussein's close bond with fellow heir to the throne Prince William came to light several years ago.

In 2018, during a solo trip to Jordan, William stopped by Hussein's swanky bachelor pad at the King's residence of Beit al Urdun to watch a football match.

William had missed out on watching England's emphatic victory over Panama in that year's World Cup while travelling to the country - so the Crown Prince recorded it for him.

Kensington Palace later shared a picture of William watching the rerun on a huge screen alongside Hussein as they reclined on a huge grey corner sofa.

In addition, Hussein's mum Queen Rania is a member of William's Earthshot Prize Council.

Glam wife-to-be

Hussein announced his engagement to Rajwa in August last year although it is not known when they started dating or how they met.

The bride is originally from Saudi Arabia and is a qualified architect after studying at Syracuse University in New York.

She also spent time working in Los Angeles before her engagement last year, which was confirmed in a special ceremony.

Hussein with his wife-to-be Rajwa (AFP via Getty Images)

According to Prince Hussein's website, he proposed at Rajwa's family's home in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, in the presence of members of the royal family, including Hussein's parents, Queen Rania and King Abdullah.

To celebrate the news, Hussein shared an Instagram photo of the pair together, writing, "Alhamdullillah. We pray that God grants us His blessings. Grateful to my dear Jordanian family for their heartfelt support and kind wishes".

Many royal fans compared the sweet image to the official engagement photo of the Prince and Princess of Wales - as both Rajwa and Kate donned navy blue dresses.

Rajwa carried out her first royal engagement the month after Hussein popped the question.

And two weeks ago, Queen Rania threw a traditional henna party for her daughter-in-law-to-be and later shared special behind-the-scenes footage of the emotional event.

Upon marriage, Rajwa will take the title of Crown Princess of Jordan and when Hussein ascends the throne, she will become Queen of Jordan.

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