WITH LITTLE FANFARE, CROWN PRINCE HAMZAH GETS

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.