Jordan princess marries grandson of popular children’s author Roald Dahl

Jordan’s Princess Raiyah Bint Al-Hussein married to Ned Donovan, the grandson of British author Roald Dahl in an intimate, socially-distanced ceremony in England this week.

The bride, 34, posted pictures from the ceremony on her Twitter account on Tuesday, and thanked well-wishers for their thoughtful messages.

She also noted the couple were due to marry in Jordan in April, however due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the celebration will be rescheduled to take place in Jordan in the future.

She wrote: “Thank you all for your kind messages at our wedding! While it was originally planned for April in Jordan, the pandemic derailed those plans and it was safer for my husband’s family to hold it in the UK. God willing, we look forward to celebrating in Jordan once the situation allows.”

https://twitter.com/RaiyahHKJ/status/1280475885028675586

It is not confirmed where the newlyweds were married, but it appeared to be a country estate where the pair posed in the garden for photographs.

The ceremony was attended by the princess’ mother Queen Noor, Jordan’s ambassador to the UK, Omar Nahar, and a few members of the groom’s family, reported Jordanian Roya News.

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Ahead of the wedding, Princess Raiyah’s now-husband Ned Donovan, a 26-year-old freelance journalist converted to Islam and changed his name to Faris. According to the National, he is also currently learning Arabic.

The couple had announced their engagement in October last year in a royal statement, which said: “The Royal Hashemite Court extends its sincere congratulations to Her Royal Highness Princess Raiyah and to Mr Donovan on this occasion.”

The youngest daughter of Queen Noor and the late King Hussein of Jordan specialises in Japanese literature and is currently studying for a PhD in the subject at the University of California (UCLA).