Prince William and Princess Kate's close royal friends welcome their first child
William and Kate had been among the guests at Prince Hussein's wedding
Instagram/PA
A royal couple close to Prince William and Princess Kate have welcomed the arrival of their first child.
Jordan's Crown Prince Hussein and Princess Rajwa - whose wedding the Waleses attended last year - have announced the birth of their daughter on social media.
In a statement on social media, the Jordanian Royal Hashemite Court confirmed that Princess Rajwa gave birth to Princess Iman on August 3, and sent its "sincere congratulations and best wishes" to the new parents.
It read: "The Royal Hashemite Court is pleased to announce that Their Royal Highnesses Crown Prince Al Hussein bin Abdullah II and Princess Rajwa Al Hussein were blessed, on 3 August 2024, with a baby girl they named Iman.
"The Royal Hashemite Court extends its sincere congratulations and best wishes to Their Royal Highnesses and to Their Majesties King Abdullah II and Queen Rania Al Abdullah on this happy occasion.
"Their Royal Highnesses are immensely overjoyed and thankful on welcoming their firstborn, and call on well-wishers to consider donating to Al-Aman Fund for the Future of Orphans in lieu of sending gifts or flowers."
The family welcomed Princess Iman at the King Hussein Medical City in Jordanian capital Amman, the same hospital in which King Abdullah, Crown Prince Hussein, his siblings Princess Salma, Prince Hashem and Princess Iman - the new baby's namesake - were born.
The new royal parents detailed how happy they were with the news to HELLO! Arabia - with Princess Rajwa opening up on how "overjoyed" she was to "begin this new chapter".
MORE INTERNATIONAL ROYALTY:
Princess Rajwa of Jordan welcomed the new baby just days ago
The Royal Hashemite Court
The two princes - and now, two fathers - pictured at an historic site in Jordan
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Princess Kate and Prince William stepped out in Jordan for Hussein's wedding
Reuters
Princess Kate and Prince William attended Crown Prince Hussein of Jordan's wedding last year
Reuters
The Jordanian and British royals are closely linked
PA
Rajwa said: "We are overjoyed to begin this new chapter in our lives. Our family is growing, and we are excited to welcome our little one into the world."
While Crown Prince Hussein added that the pair were "very excited about the new phase."
He said: "Everything will change with the kids, for sure. I don't know what to expect, but thank God we are excited and the family is excited too."
Queen Rania and King Abdullah - who both maintain close ties to the British Royal Family - both released statements of support online, too, with the former declaring the family has "never been happier".
William and Hussein, pictured in Jordan
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The Jordanian royal birth comes six years after Prince Louis's birth
PA
And the royals' ties extend both ways - Crown Prince Hussein graduated from Sandhurst Military Academy in Berkshire, and is understood to be friendly with Prince William and Princess Beatrice.
And the Prince and Princess of Wales travelled to Jordan last year to celebrate Hussein and Rajwa's wedding - the Waleses' first major international royal event.
That followed a 2021 private holiday to the country where William, Kate, and their three children visited the ancient city of Petra.
Queen Rania is a member of William's Earthshot Prize Council, while Princess Kate lived in Jordan for three years as a young child while her father Michael was working for British Airways in the region.
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