Two royal households have proudly nurtured a lasting friendship.
Britain’s Prince William and his wife Kate Middleton visited Jordan in June to witness the nuptials of Crown Prince Hussein and Princess Rajwa. The Prince and Princess of Wales were joined by William’s cousin, Princess Beatrice, and her husband Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi.
Hussein's mother, Queen Rania of Jordan, told Fox News Digital the family shares a much-treasured relationship with the British royals. The proud matriarch is a council member of the Earthshot Prize, William’s environmental program. It aims to find new ideas and technologies around the world to address climate change.
QUEEN RANIA OF JORDAN SHARES HER HUMBLE MARRIAGE ADVICE: ‘DON'T FORGET TO HAVE A LITTLE FUN'
"It is always a pleasure to host the Prince and Princess of Wales in Jordan," said the 53-year-old. "We are so thankful they were able to make the trip for Hussein’s wedding. The ties between Jordan and the U.K. are very strong, and our close friendship with the British royal family goes back generations."
"What impresses me most about the Prince and Princess of Wales is their passion," she noted about the couple’s dedication to duty. "Working alongside Prince William on his environmental award, the Earthshot Prize, it’s obvious how much he cares about protecting and repairing our planet. And as for Princess Kate, her support for families and young people in the U.K. is clearly a labor of love."
William, 41, is heir to the British throne. The prince will spend two days in New York — next Monday and Tuesday — to attend the second Earthshot Prize Innovation Summit, as well as make additional appearances.
Queen Rania will also be in town from Monday to Thursday. She will be attending United Nations General Assembly-related engagements, as well as attend the Earthshot Prize reception, among other events.
In May, the queen and her husband, King Abdullah, attended the coronation of William’s father, King Charles III, at London’s Westminster Abbey.
"It was very moving to be a part of such a historic moment and to witness the start of a new era for the United Kingdom," Queen Rania shared. "My husband and I have a very deep respect for His Majesty. He has never allowed protocol or the demands of his role to keep him from connecting with the public, and I doubt he will start now. He is very forward-looking, and I think his kindness, perceptiveness and openness will serve him well as king."
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King Abdullah’s mother, Princess Muna al-Hussein, was born Antoinette Avril Gardiner in the U.K. According to W magazine, Queen Rania first met Queen Elizabeth II in 1999, a few months after she and Abdullah, 61, assumed his parents’ role in the monarchy. In 2018, Hussein, 29, hosted William in Jordan, where they enjoyed watching the World Cup together. The families have continued to support each other over the years.
Charles, 74, ascended to the throne upon the death of his mother. Queen Elizabeth, England’s longest-reigning monarch, died in 2022 at age 96.
Queen Rania said there are many lessons we can still learn from the late monarch a year after her passing.
"Queen Elizabeth always put duty first," Queen Rania explained. "She pledged her life to the service of her country and her people, and for 70 years, she never fell short of that promise. Through the good and the bad, Her Majesty was there for her people, and I will always admire her sense of discipline and her profound love for her country."
Queen Rania recently spoke at London’s CogX Global Leadership Summit, where she addressed the ongoing migrant crisis. In June, a fishing boat crammed with refugees trying to reach Europe capsized and sank off the coast of Greece, leaving at least 79 dead and many more missing. In February, at least 94 people died when a wooden boat from Turkey sank off Cutro in southern Italy.
The Mediterranean’s deadliest shipwreck in living memory occurred on April 18, 2015, when an overcrowded fishing boat collided off Libya with a freighter trying to come to its rescue. Only 28 people survived. Forensic experts concluded that there were originally 1,100 people on board.
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"Today, more than 110 million people around the world have been displaced from their homes — the highest number in recorded history," Queen Rania explained. "So the scale of the crisis is massive. But, over the past decade, we have learned so much about how to best support refugees while making immigration and asylum policies work for host nations. The problem is that we are still not applying the lessons of the past."
"When managed effectively, migration can be a boon for receiving countries," she stressed. "In fact, in the coming years, wealthy nations will need more, not less, immigrants to keep growing their economies. Global birth rates are falling, and an economy needs people to function… Every new person is a potential consumer, worker, job creator, or investor."
"It’s really in all our best interests to extend asylum seekers the compassion that we would want if we were in their shoes," the mother of four continued. "History has proven to us that hardline migrant policies are costly, damaging, and difficult to enforce. They usually fail to deter immigration… they just manage to push it underground. So, our only option is to start managing migration effectively and compassionately."
Queen Rania noted that "humanity’s boundless potential to change our world for the better" gives her hope every day.
"The world could be much, much better than it is, but we have the power to make it so," she said. "When given the choice, I will always bet on humanity. We are our own best chance."
In August, Queen Rania revealed the secret to her lasting marriage to Fox News Digital. The king and queen marked their 30th anniversary in June.
"Marriage is just like any other undertaking in life," she said at the time. "You need to put in the work to make it work. You bring your best self to work at the beginning of each day, so bring that best self to your partner, too… for the sake of the marriage and home you share but also the family you want to grow."
"It’s sometimes easy to fall into the trap of complacency in a marriage, just as it is to become complacent in other areas of life," said the queen. "So, my humble advice is: Show up, do your absolute best and don’t forget to have a little fun while you’re at it."
