Jameel Alexander Thermiotis (right), husband of Princess Iman, daughter of King Jordan Abdullah II, cuts the cake in his second wedding ceremony in Amman, Jordan, Sunday (12/3/2023).
By reading Surat Al-Fatihah after signing the marriage certificate in the presence of her father, King Abdullah II, and the royal mufti, Princess Iman officially married and started a new life with a man from Venezuela, Jameel Alexander Thermiotis, in a wedding ceremony at the Beit Al-Urdon Palace, Dabouq, western suburb of Amman, Jordan, Sunday (12/3/2023). On the table, there is a mushaf of the Koran covered in green.
Princess Iman (26) is the second child and eldest daughter of Jordanian King Abdullah II and Queen Rania. She is the younger sister of Crown Prince Hussein, who will soon marry his fiancé, Rajwa al-Saif, the youngest daughter of Saudi Arabian businessman Khaled al-Saif. Prince Hussein and Rajwa al-Saif’s wedding is scheduled for June 1, 2023.
The marriage of Princess Iman and Thermiotis was the first of the four children of the Jordanian ruler. During the ceremony, Prince Hussein and Prince Hashem – the youngest son of King Abdullah II – witnessed the marriage. Prince Hussein also escorted and accompanied him through the palace garden to the room where the ceremony was held.
”Congratulations, dearest Faith, your smile is always a gift of love that I have wanted since you were born. May you and Jameel live a life full of love and laughter,” Queen Rania, the mother, said via social media.
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Princess Iman wore a long white wedding gown and a lace veil. United Arab Emirates (UAE) Media, The National, reported that the gown and head covering crown designed by French designer, Dior. She also wears a jeweled crown said to have belonged to her grandmother, Princess Muna al-Hussein, mother of King Abdullah II and second wife of the late King Hussein, who ruled Jordan from 1952-1999.
Princess Iman, daughter of King Jordan Abdullah II, and Jameel Alexander Thermiotis exchanged rings during their wedding ceremony in Amman, Jordan, Sunday (12/3/2023).
The engagement of Putri Iman and Thermiotis, a Venezuelan man descended from a family of Greek origin, was announced in July 2022. However, their wedding date was only set last week.
The Middle East Eye (MEE) page on August 25 2022 reported that when Putri Iman and Thermiotis were announced to be engaged last year, many Jordanians felt uncomfortable. Thermiotis is considered non-Arab and is not thought to be a Muslim. In addition, the marriages of members of the Jordanian royal family to non-Jordanian citizens often raise questions for some circles in the country.
The Middle East Eye page on August 25 2022 reported that when Putri Iman and Thermiotis were announced to be engaged last year, many Jordanians felt uncomfortable.
Queen Rania, consort of King Abdullah, was not free from such criticism in Jordan. He was born in Kuwait of Palestinian descent. Among the rulers and monarchies in the Middle East, the King of Jordan is a direct descendant of the Prophet Muhammad SAW. That is why, the issue of lineage or lineage, especially in the royal environment, is one of the main concerns of the public in that country.
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From his marriage to Queen Rania, King Abdullah II has children: Crown Prince Prince Hussein, Princess Iman (who recently married), Princess Salma, and Prince Hashem. During the wedding ceremony last Sunday, they sat in the front seat with Queen Rania and Prince Hussein’s fiancé, Rajwa al-Saif.
(From left to right) Princess Salma, Prince Hashem, Rajwa al-Saif, Crown Prince Prince Hussein and Queen Rania attend the wedding ceremony of Princess Iman and Thermiotis (not seen) in Amman, Jordan, Sunday (12/3/2023).
Within the Kingdom of Jordan, marriages between royal members and non-Jordanian citizens are nothing new. One of King Hussein’s wives, namely Queen Noor al-Hussein, is an American citizen. As reported The New York TimesJune 16, 1978, the two were married on June 15, 1978 at the Zaharan Palace, Amman.
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Queen Noor’s real name is Elizabeth Halaby, aged 26 when she married King Hussein. Before getting married, Halaby was known to embrace Protestantism. A televised Palace statement referred to Halaby by the name “Miss Noor Halaby, who is Muslim”, indicating she converted to Islam. From his marriage to Queen Noor, King Hussein has four children, one of whom is Prince Hamza.
Dispel doubts
Because of this, the wedding of Putri Iman and Thermiotis, which was partially broadcast live on television—by showing the bride and groom reading Surat Al-Fatihah after signing the marriage certificate—may be to ward off doubts among some Jordanians about Thermiotis’ background. So far, not much is known about Thermiotis’ background and how he started his relationship with Putri Iman.
Among the four children of King Abdullah II, Princess Iman is also less highlighted. The main focus is more on Prince Hussein, the Crown Prince, who will receive the royal relay after King Abdullah II.
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As quoted by the magazine page Time, Putri Iman completed her elementary to high school education in Jordan. He graduated from the International Academy in Amman in 2014. After that, he continued his studies at Georgetown University, USA, before transferring to Parson’s School of Design in New York until graduation.
Putri Iman usually follows Queen Rania’s trips to several countries, such as England, France, Italy, China and Japan. He also regularly appears in equestrian competitions.
Putri Iman and Jameel Alexander Thermiotis at a wedding ceremony in Amman, Jordan, Sunday (12/3/2023).
While her husband, Thermiotis—full name Jameel Alexander Thermiotis—is a financial manager in New York. He was born in Caracas, Venezuela, to a descendant of a prominent Greek family. Quoting Grazia Middle East, page Bazaar Arabia mentions that he is the eldest son of three children, the son of Alexandros Thermiotis and Corina Hernández.
Although born and raised in Venezuela, Thermiotis and his family still maintain a connection with their families in their home country by frequently visiting the Greek island of Andros. Mentioned, Thermiotis is a person who often travels independently. This is what makes him used to interact with many groups with different cultural and linguistic backgrounds.
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Thermiotis studied higher education in the US, graduating majoring in Business Administration and Business at Florida International University. He is now in office managing partner at a financial firm in New York. Not much is known about how he became acquainted with Princess Iman so that he “conquered the heart” of the daughter of the King of Jordan.
King Abdullah II watches as his daughter signs the marriage certificate during a wedding ceremony with Jameel Alexander Thermiotis (not seen) in Amman, Jordan, Sunday (12/3/2023).
Part of the process of Princess Iman-Thermiotis’s wedding ceremony was shown live live on state television. Rarely has the life of the Jordanian rulers’ Hashimiyah family been made public through such live television.
Henna Party, their pre-wedding party, was held on Tuesday (7/3/2023). At the party, Princess Iman wore a white dress designed by a Palestinian-Jordanian fashion designer, Reema Dahbour. The dress was accessorized with a gold and white belt designed by British designer Bruce Oldfield, as worn by Queen Rania in her 1993 wedding ceremony with King Abdullah.
Present at the Princess Iman-Thermiotis wedding ceremony included Prince Hasan, uncle of King Abdullah II, and his wife, Princess Sarvath. A number of guests from friendly countries also witnessed the wedding ceremony, namely Sheikh Khaled bin Mohamed, member of the Abu Dhabi Executive Council and Head of the Abu Dhabi Executive Office; Sheikh Issa (son of Bahrain’s Crown Prince Prince Salman bin Hamad); the Kuwaiti royal family; and Intisar and Aya el-Sisi, wife and daughter of Egyptian President Abdel Fatah el-Sisi. (AFP/REUTERS)
