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Queen Rania
in a dress by Giambattista Valli |
Not all the queens are ‘beauty queens’, not all of them are lucky
enough to bag the crown of fashion! Similarly not all the fashionable
ladies are queens, nor are they excellent mothers. Not all the beauties
are intelligent and well educated.
 This
is not a ‘logic’ formed by me, but what we usually experience. So it is
obvious that Queen Rania Al Abdullah, the wife of King Abdullah II of
Jordan is ‘usually unusual’!
A queen, a dazzling beauty, a loving mother of four, a renowned
social worker,a Graduate of Business Administration from the American
University in Cairo, above all an international style icon- the very
reason why she becomes the subject of this week’s ‘Panorama’ Fashion
Icons!
Rania Al Yassin, who was born in Kuwait to a Palestinian family shot
to fame and worldwide acclaim following her fairy tale marriage to the
then Prince Abdullah of Jordan. As Prince Abdullah ascended the throne
in February 1999, the very next month, Princess Rania was proclaimed the
Queen of Jordan by her husband at the age of 28, making her the youngest
queen in the world.
 The
thirty eight year old royal beauty with brains has always been in the
centre of attention of the public and the worldwide media. Harpers and
Queen magazine named Queen Rania the third prettiest woman in the world
in their ‘Top 100, 2005’ while the Time magazine added her name to the
‘100 most influential people’ in the world in 2006 based on her
performance in the previous year. The Queen of the Hashemite Kingdom was
also short listed for the ‘Most Inspirational’ Leader featured on CNN.
She has appeared constantly on the Vanity Fair’s International Best
Dressed Hall of Fame” becoming a popular subject among fashion-goers. In
fact her each and every move matters a lot to the media. In May 2006, a
bewitching queen Rania stole the show at the Metropolitan Museum of Art
and also at the Lincoln Center, New York where the Time magazine was
celebrating their publication of the 100 most influential people.
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| Attending a
cocktail party for Time Magazine’s 100 Most Influential
People issue at Jazz at Lincoln Center,NY |
In a glamorous full-length dress the royal beauty could attract the
attention of all , standing on par with Hollywood actress, singer and
fashion goddess Jennifer Lopez who too had opted for a long strapless
gown showing off her curves!
At the New York Time Warner Center where Queen Rania and King
Abdullah II were hailed as one of the Time’s ‘influential power couples
in the world’, the former displayed her high taste for fashion.
Whether attending a Royal wedding in Spain, or appearing on a TV
show, or dining at Elysee palace with French President and the First
Lady, Queen Rania has always been able to charm the gathering.
As fashion critics say “Rania knows to pick up what suits her best, ‘
not necessarily what’s considered the trend of the moment.” Her dress
designers vary from Elie Saab, a Lebanese to the French Jean Paul
Gaultier.
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| Rania at the wedding of
Spanish crown prince |
She stunned the crowds by wearing one of Gaultier’s dresses to a
reception held by the German President in Berlin back in October 2002.
Italian designer Giambattista Valli and Israeli fashion designer Albert
Elbaz at Lanvin are also among her favourites. Queen Rania has often
been compared to late Princess Diana mainly in terms of their social
work. Like the late Princess, Queen Rania too loves to dedicate her
resources and time to social work.
In 1995, the then Princess Rania established the Jordan River
Foundation JRF, a non-profit, non-governmental institution which has
launched several projects with the intention of reaching out to the
vulnerable segments of Jordan’s population- women and children.She is
also involved with several other organizations including the Global
Alliance for Vaccines and Immunization ,World Economic Forum and the
United Nations.
As noted by many international newspapers the Queen of Jordan is a
‘master at disarming the staunchest of critics’ with her marvelous
ability to ‘impress both foreign dignitaries and Western journalists
alike’.
She is also seen as the ‘best PR machine’ Jordan has ever produced.
To quote Time ‘Queen Rania is the new face of Arab feminism for the
21st century’.
She has always proved herself a ‘diamond’, repeatedly reminding the
world of the words uttered by Queen Zain Al Sharaf, the grandmother of
Prince Al Abdullah in 1993 after meeting Rania prior to her marriage to
the then Prince. “You are a diamond that will be added to the Hashemites.”!
- Samangie
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