Princess Raiyah bint Hussein

Princess Raiyah bint Al Hussein^[1] (Arabic: راية بنت الحسين; born 9 February 1986^[2]) is the younger daughter of King Hussein of Jordan and Queen Noor. She has two brothers, Hamzah and Hashem, as well as an elder sister, Princess Iman.^[3] She is a half-sister to King Abdullah II of Jordan.^[4]

Princess Raiyah bint Al Hussein
Princess Raiyah in 2023
Born	(1986-02-09) 9 February 1986 (age 38) Amman, Jordan
Spouse	Faris Ned Donovan ​ (m. 2020)​
Names Raiyah bint Hussein bin Talal bin Abdullah
House	Hashemite
Father	Hussein of Jordan
Mother	Lisa Halaby
Occupation	Academic

Early life and Education

Princess Raiyah was born on 9 February 1986 at King Hussein Medical Center in Wadi Al-Seer, Amman, She is youngest daughter by fourth children of Hussein of Jordan and Queen Noor of Jordan, She attended the United World College of the Atlantic in Wales and received her undergraduate degree in Japanese at the University of Edinburgh.^[5][6] She took a year abroad studying at Ritsumeikan University in Japan. She received a postgraduate degree in Japanese literature from Columbia University.^[7][8]

She later moved to Tokyo, where she spent three years working in the field of human development. ^[9]

Currently, Princess Raiyah is a graduate student studying a PhD in the Department of Asian Languages and Cultures on "the reception of medieval warrior narratives in Japan and the Arab World and their impact upon the construction of national identities" at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA).^[10]

Official duties

Princess Raiyah took part in official visits to Japan in 2007 and 2008, and accompanied King Abdullah II to the country in April 2009.^[11] In 2008, she formed part of a Jordanian delegation on an official visit with King Abdullah II to South Korea.^[12]

Personal life

On 5 November 2019, the court announced Princess Raiyah's engagement to British-born journalist Ned Donovan,^[13] son of writer Tessa Dahl and Patrick Donovan, maternal grandson of Roald Dahl and Patricia Neal, and paternal grandson of Francis Patrick Donovan and Maria Kozslik.^[14] His half-sister is the model Sophie Dahl, who is married to the singer Jamie Cullum.

The pair married on 7 July 2020 in the United Kingdom with the permission of King Abdullah II,^[15] after their planned wedding in Jordan was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.^[16] In 2023, she was made a Dame of the Order of St. John.^[17]

Princess Raiyah is reportedly very close with Talulah Riley, who referred to Raiyah as “my brain twin and most beloved voice in the universe” in the acknowledgment section of one of her novels.^[18]

Patronages

• Patron of The Performing Arts Center of Jordan.^{[citation needed]}

Honours

•  Jordan:
  • Knight Grand Cordon, Special Class of the Supreme Order of the Renaissance^[19]
  • Recipient of the Al-Hussein Medal of Excellence in Gold (First Class) ^{[citation needed]}

•  United Kingdom:
  • Dame of Justice of the Order of Saint John of Jerusalem (12 April 2023)^[20]

Ancestry

Ancestors of Princess Raiyah bint Hussein
8. Abdullah I of Jordan 4. Talal of Jordan 9. Musbah bint Nasser 2. Hussein of Jordan 10. Sharif Jamal Ali bin Nasser 5. Zein al-Sharaf 11. Wijdan Shakir Pasha 1. Princess Raiyah bint Hussein[citation needed] 12. Najeeb Elias Halaby 6. Najeeb Elias Halaby 13. Laura Wilkins 3. Lisa Halaby 14. Franklin Elvin Carlquist 7. Doris Carlquist 15. Mae Ethel Ackroyd

References

1. "Statement from the Royal Hashemite Court". The Royal Hashemite Court. 1 June 2023. Retrieved 1 June 2023.
2. George, Alan (2005). Jordan : living in the crossfire. New York: Zed Books. p. 170. ISBN 978-1-84277-471-7.
3. Green, Joey (2003). How they met: fateful encounters of famous lovebirds, rivals, partners in crime, and other strange bedfellows. Black Dog Publishing. p. 136. ISBN 978-1-57912-327-7.
4. "Immediate Family Tree". The Royal Hashemite Court. Retrieved 26 March 2015.
5. Pooran, Neil (10 May 2013). "Edinburgh University's ultra-rich graduates inherit their money from family fortunes". Deadline News. Edinburgh, Scotland. Retrieved 26 March 2015.
6. "Graduate Students". The Department of Asian Languages & Cultures is part of the Humanities Division within UCLA College. Retrieved 26 March 2015.
7. "Raiyah Bint Al-Hussein". www.international.ucla.edu. Retrieved 31 December 2022.
8. "M.A. Convocation Booklet 2014 | PDF". Scribd. Retrieved 31 December 2022.
9. International Ucla
10. "Graduate Students". The Department of Asian Languages & Cultures is part of the Humanities Division within UCLA College. Retrieved 26 March 2015.
11. "Japan-Jordan Relations (Basic Data)". Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan. Retrieved 8 June 2020.
12. "King Abdullah Ii Of Jordan Visits South Korea Stock Pictures, Royalty-free Photos & Images - Getty Images". www.gettyimages.co.uk. Retrieved 8 June 2020.
13. "Statement from the Royal Hashemite Court". Royal Hashemite Court.
14. "Roald Dahl's grandson announces engagement to Jordanian Princess". The Daily Telegraph. 5 November 2019. Archived from the original on 4 December 2022.
15. "Jordan News Agency (Petra)". petra.gov.jo. Retrieved 7 July 2020.
16. Hallemann, Caroline (8 July 2020). "Princess Raiyah of Jordan Marries Roald Dahl's Grandson in the First Royal Wedding of the Pandemic". Town & Country. Retrieved 24 February 2022.
17. "King Charles Makes Princess Raiyah a Dame". 8 June 2023.
18. "Twitter texts released in court case reveal Elon Musk's ex-wife asked him to 'Please do something to fight woke-ism'".
19. Jordanian Royals
20. "Order of St John". London Gazette. Retrieved 8 June 2023.