Inside Queen Rania's Expanding Family as She Celebrates Her 56th Birthday

As Queen Rania of Jordan turns 56, she has plenty to celebrate, most notably a rapidly expanding royal family. To mark her birthday on Monday, Jordan's Royal Hashemite Court released a new portrait of Queen Rania. The image captures her in a relaxed setting, seated on brick steps surrounded by greenery. She is dressed in a white short-sleeved top paired with wide-leg blue jeans, accessorised with an Apple Watch and star-shaped drop earrings, while her hair is styled in a loose updo with face-framing strands.

The Queen and King Abdullah II share four children, and within the span of just two years, they have also become grandparents four times over—a role Queen Rania has openly embraced. In July, while announcing the second pregnancy of her eldest daughter Princess Iman, she joyfully stated: “The grandchildren club is growing.” Princess Iman and her husband, Jameel Alexander Thermiotis, welcomed twin daughters Talia and Rania on August 14, with one newborn sharing her grandmother's name. These twins joined their older sister Amina, born in February 2025, as well as Princess Iman bint Al Hussein, the daughter of Crown Prince Hussein and Princess Rajwa, who became King Abdullah and Queen Rania's first grandchild in August 2024.

Born Rania Al Yassin on August 31, 1970, the Queen married then Prince Abdullah bin Al Hussein on June 10, 1993, after meeting at a dinner party earlier that year. At the time, she was working in the technology sector, having previously built a career in banking following her graduation with a business administration degree from the American University in Cairo. Prince Abdullah ascended the throne as King Abdullah II of Jordan on February 7, 1999, following the passing of his father, King Hussein, with Queen Rania proclaimed the following month. In June, the couple marked their 33rd wedding anniversary, prompting Queen Rania to share a heartfelt tribute on social media: “Thankful for every twist and turn that led me to you. Happy anniversary, Your Majesty.”

The royal couple's four children are Crown Prince Hussein, Princess Iman, Princess Salma, and Prince Hashem. Crown Prince Hussein, born on June 28, 1994, is the eldest child and heir to the Jordanian throne. Named Crown Prince in 2009, he undertakes prominent domestic and international duties, including accompanying his father on official visits and addressing the United Nations. He married Saudi-born Rajwa Al Saif on June 1, 2023, at Zahran Palace in Amman in a grand ceremony attended by global royals and dignitaries. Princess Rajwa, an architecture graduate from Syracuse University in New York who also studied at the Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising in Los Angeles, welcomed her first child, Princess Iman bint Al Hussein, on August 3, 2024.

Princess Iman, born on September 27, 1996, is the second child and eldest daughter of King Abdullah and Queen Rania. She married Jameel Alexander Thermiotis at Beit Al Urdun Palace in Amman on March 12, 2023. Thermiotis, born in Caracas, Venezuela, in 1994 and of Greek descent, studied business administration and has worked in finance in New York. Princess Iman wore a custom Dior gown for the ceremony. The couple welcomed their first child, Amina, on February 16, 2025, before expanding their family further with the arrival of twin girls Talia and Rania.

Princess Salma, born on September 26, 2000, is the third child and second daughter of the royal couple. Alongside her royal duties, she has pursued military training, notably becoming the first Jordanian woman to complete preliminary pilot training with the Jordanian Armed Forces in 2020. In 2023, she participated in an airdrop of critical medical supplies to a medical centre in Gaza. Prince Hashem, the youngest child born on January 30, 2005, shares his birthday with his father, King Abdullah, who was born on January 30, 1962. Now 21, Prince Hashem frequently joins his parents and siblings at official events and has also undergone military training.