“The QUEEN of BHUTAN”
adorned in regality designed by celebrated couturier
Manav Gangwani
at the
Royal Jordanian Wedding
Ace Indian designer, Manav Gangwani was the couturier of choice for Her Majesty The Queen of BHUTAN, The Gyaltsuen Jetsun Pema Wangchuck as she attended the recently held Royal Jordanian wedding of Their Royal Highnesses Crown Prince Al Hussein and Princess Rajwa Khaled bin Musaed bin Saif bin Abdulaziz Al Saif at Zahran Palace, in Amman, Jordan on 1st June 2023, after announcing their engagement in August last year.
The wedding was a landmark occasion, where for the first time in almost 30 years, a future King of Jordan’s Royal Hashemite Court was married in a lavish ceremony. The Jordanian royal family, known as the Hashemites, have ruled Jordan since 1921, with King Abdullah II being a direct descendant of the Prophet Muhammad. The last time a Hashemite wedding of this scale took place was in 1993 when Abdullah II, then just a prince, married the Kuwaiti born, of Palestinian parentage, Rania Al-Yassin.
Manav Gangwani delivered an especially curated attire for the Queen of Bhutan that resonated with the regality of the momentous occasion.
The couturier’s special relationship to “The Royal Majesties of The Kingdom of Bhutan”, His Majesty The Druk Gyalpo, Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck and Her Majesty The Gyaltsuen Jetsun Pema Wangchuck is well known to all, which conferred upon him the honor of designing for the youngest queen of the world.
He especially curated a vesture that was keeping in tradition with the national Bhutanese attire, which consists of three separate pieces: the skirt, or kira, the blouse, or wonju, and the jacket, or toego, all elaborately handcrafted with painstaking attention in their detailing connecting and representing the kingdom of Bhutan.
The peach-pink kira was a beauteous piece of design, embroidered with tiny blue poppy flowers, the national flower of Bhutan. The wonju was similarly hued as the embroidered kira, in Eri silk from the neighboring Indian state, Assam, being popular in Bhutan due to the Ahimsa practices used to obtain the silk which is mostly used by the monks of Bhutan and other Buddhist nations. The toego completed the ensemble all in the same colour, made with the finest Assamese muga silk, with traditional Bengali kantha embroidery – a further attention to detail since the embroidery work is the craft of the rural folk women in the Indian state touching the borders of Bhutan.
The Queen of Bhutan opted for a sleek row of diamonds in her hair, as opposed to a more traditional tiara adorned by the other Queens and Princesses. She combined it with the jeweled necklace from the Royal collection made of diamonds and Burmese rubies.
Crown Prince Hussein is the eldest son and heir of King Abdullah II and Queen Rania. The ruling couple share three other children: Princess Iman (26) who is married to Jameel Alexander Thermiotis, a Venezuelan venture capitalist of Greek descent, Princess Salma (22) and Prince Hashem (18), all of whom were in attendance at the wedding
of their eldest brother.
The newlywed Crown Prince Hussein (28) is a captain in the Jordan Armed Forces-Arab Army and a graduate of the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst, England, as well as Georgetown University in Washington D.C. In 2015, he became the youngest ever person to chair a U.N. Security Council meeting. He has also addressed the U.N. General Assembly in 2017, and supported his father on diplomatic visits including multiple meetings with the U.S. President Joe Biden.
His radiant bride Rajwa (29) is a Saudi Arabian architect, the youngest of four siblings, daughter to Saudi businessman Khalid bin Musaed bin Saif bin Abdulaziz al-Saif. Her mother is part of the Al Sudairi family, Saudi Arabia’s ruling family, and her second cousin is the Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman.
With the event demanding excellent competency of design and aesthetic with an equally keen observance and adherence to traditional detailing, the Indian couturier was an obvious choice when it came to dressing the Queen of Bhutan who was in attendance. The royalty’s look made quite a statement in the esteemed company.
Other designers, whose works were seen on royal guests at the wedding reception were Princess Rajwa Al Saif in Dolce & Gabbana Alta Moda Gown; Ellie Saab, whose drapes were epitomized by Queen Rania; Valentino, adorned by Sheikha Moza Bint Nasser of Qatar; Queen Maxima of the Netherlands wore Pakistani couturier Mahpara Khan ensemble; Princess of Wales Catherine Middleton wore an outfit by Jenny Packham.
Instagram:
Queen Jetsun Pema Wangchuck: @queenjetsunpema
Manav Gangwani: @manavgangwani @couturemg
Groom-
Crown Prince Al Hussein bin Abdullah II: @alhusseinjo
Bride-
Princess Rajwa Khaled bin Musaed bin Saif bin Abdulaziz Al Saif: @rajwaofjordannews @rajwa.and.her.prince @rajwajo1
Royal Hashemite Court (Jordan): @rhcjo
Crown Prince Foundation: @cpfjo
Queen Rania Al Abdullah of Jordan: @queenrania
Elie Saab: @eliesaabworld @eliesaabbridal
Sheikha Moza Bint Nasser: @mozabintnasser
Valentino: @maisonvalentino
Queen Maxima: @queen.maxima
Mahpara Khan: @mahparakhanofficial
Princess Catherine Middleton: @princeandprincessofwales
Jenny Packham: @jennypackham
Some of the Celebrities wore:
QUEEN of BHUTAN:
Indian Couturier MANAV GANGWANI
ROYAL BRIDE PRINCESS RAJWA AL SAIF:
Italian Couturier Duo: DOLCE & GABBANA
QUEEN RANIA of JORDAN:
Lebanese Couturier ELIE SAAB
SHEIKHA MOZA BINT NASSER of QATAR:
Italian Couturier VALENTINO
QUEEN MAXIMA of the NETHERLANDS:
Pakistani Couturier MAHPARA KHAN
PRINCESS of WALES CATHERINE MIDDLETON:
British Designer JENNY PACKHAM