Wah Wari: Her Royal Highness, Rania Abdullah

If I had to describe Jordan’s Queen Rania Al Abdullah, I would have a bit of difficulty in doing so. Not a lot; just a bit. It’s not so much that she’s difficult to describe, I think the complication is a result of Her Royal Highness’s complexity of character coupled with the fact that she is one of the most gorgeous, beautiful, sophisticated, sexy, desirable, intelligent, smart, confident, passionate, driven, out-spoken, dedicated, earnest, influential, hard-working, honorable and loving mother, wife, queen and woman in the world.

I don’t expect all to agree with me and I will confess that I might not be the greatest authority or even a very good authority to discuss the character of Queen Rania. After all, I am certainly not a resident, citizen or am extremely knowledgeable of the politics and/or business of Jordan. I have come to the above conclusion based on what I know of Queen Rania from all that I have read and seen of her.

Suffice it to say, this post is not focused on the political, social or other aspects of Jordan itself. No, the sole intent of this post is to celebrate an extraordinary, courageous and drop-dead gorgeous beautiful woman who happens to be the Queen of Jordan, wife of the King of Jordan and mother of four.

In doing some research for this post, I have come across many interviews, articles and other sources and there are a few that stand out in my mind because I think it sums up Her Royal Highness in exactly the way I feel about her but in a much better way that I could manage to pen it.

Here is my absolute favorite: “Rania is beautiful, model-skinny and tall enough that she can step into anything straight off the runway. She is photographed endlessly because she is a knockout in whatever she wears - jeans and a white shirt or enviable gowns by designer friends such as John Galliano (Dior Haute Couture), Giambattista Valli, Phillip Lim, and Elie Saab. She knows clothes; she shops. "I try to sneak a couple of hours in London or the States. Maybe clothes are a form of creative expression for me; an outlet. Because I don't get to express myself creatively through my official duties." source

She was born Rania Al-Yassin on August 31, 1970 to Palestinian parents in Kuwait where she completed her primary and secondary education. In 1991 she obtained a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration from the American University in Cairo. After graduation she had a career in banking and information technology.

Rania met Prince Abdullah at a dinner party in January of 2003, two months later they announced their engagement and on June 10 they were married. She was the youngest queen in the world at the time King Abdullah succeeded to the throne. She is the mother of four - Prince Hussein 28 June, 1994; Princess Iman 27 September, 1996; Princess Salma 26 September, 2000 and Prince Hashem January 30, 2005.

Queen Rania is internationally known for philanthropic endeavors. She started the Jordan River Foundation in 1995 (and organization that has since become the most powerful driving force for reform and change for the lives of women and children in Jordan). The foundation’s focus is on issues of child abuse, violence against women and honor killings.

On March 30, 2008 she launched her own Youtube channel with the major intent of repairing as much damage as she could to the rift that is caused by suspicion, intolerance and mistrust. She was honored with the Youtube Visionary Award on November 22, 2008 in recognition for her use of the video-sharing website as a platform for positive social change.

Queen Rania is an outspoken advocate of women's rights and spends the majority of her time pushing for education reform, fighting for better school facilities and making it mandatory to learn English language. She is also involved in a lot more causes that at this time are too numerous to mention.

There is one quality of Her Royal Highness that I have failed to mention. Was it an oversight? No. It was quite intentional on my part. I wanted to get the other formalities out of the way so I saved this one for last. The most admirable trait of Queen Rania, in my humble opinion of course, is her humble countenance; her meekness; her humility.

Despite the title, the power, the fame, the status and everything else that goes along with being The First Lady of any country, Queen Rania Abdullah is most demure royal person that I know of. Her personality is truly reminiscent of the late Princess Diana and in some ways their stories/background are somewhat similar.

Her Royal Highness also has a very good sense of humor. Put all of the traits I mentioned together and it’s hard to deny that Rania Abdullah is totally cool yet utterly hot. For more on her work, efforts, causes and other things, feel free to visit her official website.

I will close with a few of my favorite quotes from the Queen:
“Educating our children is not just about imposing a body of knowledge on them. Rather, it involves preparing children from the early years for the world in which they will come of age. It means instilling a love for lifelong learning, creativity, self-expression and an appreciation for diversity.”

"When I look back on the past ten years, it's not about chalking up landmark events or changing laws. I think change needs to be egoless. It's not about my leaving my fingerprints or a legacy. It's more important to be part of a process by rolling up your sleeves, being on the ground, initiating projects, starting campaigns—you know, building stuff."

“As a working mother, juggling the demands of the job and four young children is not easy. Like all parents, I strive to achieve the right balance. My official activities take account of the children’s school day and their plans and programs, and extensive periods of time on overseas engagements are limited.

Spending a couple of hours each night with the children doing homework or reading to them in bed gives them, and me, a sense of security. Being surrounded by them grounds me and reminds me of what is important.” source