US embassy cable - 03AMMAN5602

UNCLAS AMMAN 005602 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE BUT UNCLASSIFIED 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PGOV, PINR, OVIP, JO 
SUBJECT: WITH LITTLE FANFARE, CROWN PRINCE HAMZAH GETS 
MARRIED -- FORMAL CEREMONY TO FOLLOW NEXT SPRING 
 
SENSITIVE BUT UNCLASSIFIED, PLEASE HANDLE ACCORDINGLY 
 
1.  (U)  Jordanians were surprised -- but nonetheless 
delighted -- at the announcement of the marriage of Crown 
Prince Hamzah on August 29, 2003.  The CP signed a 
traditional marriage contract with his second cousin, 
Princess Noor Bint Asem Ben Nayef, in a private family 
affair held at King Abdullah's residence.  After the private 
signing, the royal family held a somewhat larger (but still 
small) celebration for friends and family. 
 
2.  (U)  Under Jordanian law and tradition, following the 
signing of the wedding contract, the couple is legally 
married.  However, tradition also holds that the couple not 
reside together until after the official wedding 
celebration, which the CP's office tells us is planned for 
the Spring of 2004. 
 
3.  (SBU)  COMMENT:  While there were rumors of the Crown 
Prince's impending "engagement" floating around town, the 
Palace has not played up the CP's marriage (reportedly at 
the request of the CP himself).  A media source tells us 
that they were instructed not to "overemphasize" the 
importance of the event.  We suspect that the usual fanfare 
associated with a royal marriage will emerge in conjunction 
with the "wedding" -- the formal celebration of the contract 
that marks the beginning of a couple's life together -- that 
will be held in the Spring.  In the meantime, both the CP 
and Princess Noor plan to return to Boston to resume their 
studies. 
 
4.  (SBU)  BIO INFORMATION:  Princess Noor Bint Asem Ben 
Nayef was born on October 6, 1982 in Amman, Jordan.  She is 
the third daughter of Prince Asem Ben Nayef and Princess 
Fairouza.  Princess Noor's grandfather, Prince Nayef Bin 
Abdullah, was a half brother of King Talal, the only son of 
King Abdullah I by his second wife, Suzdil, and the half 
uncle of King Hussein.  (Abdullah I had two wives 
simultaneously, a fact which explains the rigid symmetry of 
Raghadan Palace, with two equal sets of family quarters.) 
After King Talal was deposed and King Hussein took the 
throne, Prince Nayef had a falling out with the family and 
went into exile in Spain.  Princess Noor's father, Prince 
Asem Ben Nayef, is Prince Nayef's second son. 
 
5.  (SBU)  Princess Noor's mother, Princess Fairouza, was 
originally Iranian, and has divorced Prince Asem.  (Prince 
Asem re-married and pursues business interests in Jordan.) 
Princess Fairouza and her daughters have lived most recently 
in Madrid, Spain, where Princess Noor graduated from King's 
Academy, the British School in Madrid.  Princess Noor's J-1 
student visas for the 2000-01, 2001-02, and 2002-03 academic 
years were issued in Madrid.  She is currently in her final 
year at Emerson College, Boston, and Embassy Amman just 
issued her student visa to return to Emerson this fall. 
Princess Noor is the youngest of three daughters.  Her older 
sisters are Princess Sarah (DPOB August 12, 1978, Amman) and 
Princess Yasmin (DPOB unknown). 
 
6.  (SBU)  The Crown Prince, is two years older than 
Princess Noor (born on March 19, 1980), and is also planning 
to return to his studies this fall at Harvard.  He is a 
graduate of the Royal Military Academy at Sandhurst, and is 
a Captain in the Jordan Armed Forces. 
 
7.  (SBU)  A photo of the couple appears on Embassy Amman's 
classified web site at 
http://www.state.sgov.gov/p/nea/amman/.  You can also access 
the site through the CAP Website of the Training and 
Connectivity portal of the State Department's classified 
SIPRNET site.