Queen Rania of Jordan celebrates her 44th birthday on Sunday 31 August. The Jordanian royal is expected to mark the occasion surrounded by her family and close friends. In honour of Queen Rania's birthday, HELLO! Online has gathered a list of 15 facts about one of the world's most elegant queens.
Queen Rania became the world's youngest queen when she ascended the throne at 28
1. Rania was born in Kuwait City, Kuwait on 31 August 1970, to Palestinian parents Faisal Sedki Al Yassin and Ilham Yassin. 2. Rania attended the New English School in Jabriya, Kuwait, before receiving a degree in business administration from the American University in Cairo. 3. After graduating, the future queen spent time working in marketing for Citibank and at Apple, in Amman, Jordan. 4. In 1993, just two months after meeting at a dinner party, it was announced that Rania would be marrying the then Prince Abdullah of Jordan.
Queen Rania married the then Prince Abdullah six months after meeting him
5. Four months later, the beautiful bride wed her prince in a stunning ceremony surrounded by royals from around the world, at the tender age of 22. 5. Rania dazzled in a gold-trimmed short-sleeved gown designed by Elie Saab. One of her assistants later revealed that Rania's up-do hair was so high that she had trouble getting into her car. 6. A year after their nuptials in 1994, Rania and Abdullah welcomed their first child, Crown Prince Hussein, who was followed by Princess Iman in 1996, Princess Salma in 2000 and Prince Hashem in 2005. 7. In 1999, Rania become the world's youngest queen at 28 years old when her husband ascended the Jordanian throne after the death of his father King Hussein.
Ten facts about Rania's husband King Abdullah II
Queen Rania is proud mum to Crown Prince Hussein, Princess Iman, Princess Salma and Prince Hashem
8. Rania admitted in an interview with American TV host Barbara Walters that she had grown comfortable in her role since marrying the king. "People are mesmerised by the queen thing, but for me it is everyday life," she said. 9. She also admitted most mornings in her family are just like any others. "There's a typical mayhem in the morning of taking care of the children, making sure they're ready for school and they've had their breakfast and everything," she said. "I have some help, [but] there's some things that only a mother can do." 10. The queen is currently one of the most popular royals on social media with 3.29million followers on Twitter, 3.19milllion on Facebook and 210,000 on Instagram.
Queen Rania is also a children's book author
11. As part of her royal life, Rania carries out duties in Jordan and across the world, which included a visit to London in 2012 to mark Queen Elizabeth II's Diamond Jubilee where she was spotted catching up with the Earl and Countess of Wessex and the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge. 12. One of her favourite things is to spend a night in with her husband, watching movies. "Just sitting around eating popcorn," she said. "The Hurt Locker was great. The Hurt Locker was filmed in Jordan, actually." 13. Upon marrying her prince, Rania became Her Royal Highness Rania Al Abdullah but after her husband's coronation, he announced she would be styled as Her Majesty The Queen of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan. 14. The elegant queen currently shares her birthday with Hollywood star Richard Gere, former EastEnders actor Todd Carty and TV presenter Kirstie Allsopp. 15. Alongside her royal duties, Queen Rania also finds the time to write children's books. Jordan's leading lady has released four books for children including The Sandwich Swap, which became a New York Times book list bestseller.