Princess Raiyah’s Wedding Tiara

Raiyah bint Al-Hussein

Princess Beatrice wasn’t the only royal who celebrated a quiet, private wedding in July! Princess Raiyah of Jordan married her sweetheart this month, and she wore a piece of suitably regal jewelry for the occasion.

Arabian Royal Agency

Both the bride and the groom at this royal wedding come from families that you’ve heard of. Princess Raiyah is the youngest child of Queen Noor and the late King Hussein of Jordan. She’s a half-sister of the current Jordanian monarch, King Abdullah II. Her mother, Queen Noor, was present for the very small wedding, which was held in England. (A ceremony had been planned for last April in Jordan, but it naturally had to be postponed.) Raiyah’s own personal resume is impressive, too: she’s a scholar of pre-modern Japanese literature, with a pair of master’s degrees on the subject from Edinburgh and Columbia, and is currently completing her doctorate at UCLA.

Raiyah bint Al-Hussein

Her new husband has big literary connections, too. Ned Donovan is a grandson of the famous author Roald Dahl and the Oscar-winning actress Patricia Neal. His mother, Tessa Dahl, is also a writer, and his half-sister, Sophie Dahl, is a famous model and author, too. His grandfather, Francis Patrick Donovan, was a noted Australian diplomat. Ned works as a journalist, focusing on government legislation.

Raiyah bint Al-Hussein

Princess Raiyah’s wedding was smaller than most royal celebrations, but she still brought out a significant piece of jewelry for the occasion. She wore a modern headpiece made of diamonds with a stunning diamond and sapphire center element.

Thanks to an identification made on social media by the Arabian Royal Agency and Tiara Mania, we can see that the center element is a brooch previously worn by Queen Noor. Above, you see HM wearing the brooch on her gown for the inaugural Peace Builder’s Dinner in New York City in November 2005.

Here’s another view of Queen Noor wearing the brooch from the same occasion. The event, held at the Harold Pratt House, was in support of the King Hussein Foundation.

Raiyah bint Al-Hussein

Here’s one more view of the couple and Princess Raiyah’s gorgeous wedding gown.