Prince Hussein and Princess Rajwa Head Home from Hospital with Baby, and Their Exit Is Like William and Kate’s!

Crown Prince Hussein and Princess Rajwa‘s departure from the hospital with their first child was reminiscent of another royal baby’s arrival.

On Aug. 7, the heir to the Jordanian throne and his wife, both 30, made their first public appearance with their newborn daughter, Princess Iman, who was born at King Hussein Medical Center on Aug. 3. In a video shared to X by Jordan TV, Crown Prince Hussein and Princess Rajwa smiled hand-in-hand as they left the hospital with their baby girl.

As the press captured the moment and onlookers cheered, Hussein carried their new addition and strapped her carrier into the backseat of a car. The new dad took the driver’s seat as they headed home for the first time as a family of three.

The moment mirrored Prince William and Kate Middleton‘s same milestone over a decade ago when their eldest son, Prince George, now 11, was born.

On July 23, 2013, the future Prince and Princess of Wales continued a royal tradition and introduced their first child to the world on the steps of the Lindo Wing of St. Mary’s Hospital in London. The couple took turns holding Prince George, who was born the day before and follows his father in the direct line of succession to the throne, during the photo call and brief question session with the press.

When they left later, Prince William carried his new baby in a car seat, buckled it into the back of a Range Rover and drove home.

 Prince William carries his newborn son as he and Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge leave The Lindo Wing at St Mary's Hospital on July 23, 2013 in London, England.
Prince William leaves St. Mary’s Hospital with Prince George on July 23, 2013 in London.Max Mumby/Indigo/Getty

Prince William and Princess Kate repeated the same routine when Princess Charlotte, 9, was born in 2015 and Prince Louis, 6, arrived in 2018.

Kate later revealed that their first hospital exit required some practice beforehand. Appearing on the Happy Mum, Happy Baby podcast in 2020, she revealed that her husband practiced with a doll before the day came to fasten Prince George’s car seat.

“We were like ‘What do we do?… in a swaddle?’ ‘How’s this supposed to work?’ We’d even tried to practice with a little baby, like a little doll, at home, but you know it just never works out the way you planned it. So it was quite hard to do that on the world’s stage, but no, he did a very good job,” the royal mom said during the media appearance four years ago.

LONDON, ENGLAND - JULY 23: Prince William, Duke of Cambridge and Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge depart The Lindo Wing with their newborn son at St Mary's Hospital on July 23, 2013 in London, England.
Kate Middleton, newborn Prince George and Prince William at The Lindon Wing at St. Mary’s Hospital on July 23, 2013.Mike Marsland/WireImage

“Particularly with your first-born baby, you think everything is going to go back to how it was,” she later added in the conversation with host Giovanna Fletcher. “I totally underestimated the impact and the change it had on our lives from that moment really and I think, unless you’ve got children, you don’t realize. No amount of planning and preparation can get you ready for that moment.”

The Princess of Wales has since made advocating for greater awareness around the importance of a child’s early years a key pillar of her royal platform.

Princess Kate and Prince William, both 42, were guests at Crown Prince Hussein’s royal wedding to Rajwa Alseif in Amman on June 1, 2023. The Princess of Wales has a special connection to the Jordanian city, as she briefly lived there as a young child with her family while her father, Michael Middleton, worked at British Airways. The Middletons lived abroad for two and a half years, and Kate attended nursery school there.

Crown Prince Hussein of Jordan Wedding
Kate Middleton at Crown Prince Hussein’s wedding in Jordan in June 2023.Royal Hashemite Court/Youtube

Prince William later said his wife was “very sorry” she couldn’t join him during an official trip to Jordan soon after the birth of Prince Louis in 2018, and the couple chatted with the newlywed Crown Prince Hussein and Princess Rajwa (who received her royal title on her wedding day) at least twice during the wedding celebrations. Both couples share a similar path as both princes are heirs to their respective thrones — Prince William as the eldest son of King Charles, and Crown Prince Hussein as the eldest son of King Abdullah.

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Rajwa and Hussein’s engagement announcement in August 2022 was also reminiscent of William and Kate’s in November 2010. Rajwa wore a blue dress like Kate did to match her sapphire and diamond engagement ring that previously belonged to her late mother-in-law, Princess Diana, while Crown Prince Hussein sported a classic suit with a dark tie like Prince William.

Crown Prince Al Hussein of Jordan and Ms. Rajwa Al Saif, Prince William, Kate Middleton
(Left) Rajwa Alseif and Crown Prince Hussein’s engagement photo released in August 2022; (Right) Kate Middleton and Prince William at their engagement announcement at St James Palace in November 2010. Royal Hashemite Court/Albert Nieboer/picture-alliance/dpa/AP Images, Chris Jackson/Getty

While King Abdullah and Queen Rania became first-time grandparents upon the birth of Princess Iman, her birth did not change the Jordanian line of succession. The constitution dictates that the throne of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan is hereditary to King Abdullah Ibn Al-Hussein’s dynasty and passes through males. Crown Prince Hussein is followed by his 19-year-old brother, Prince Hashem, and their sisters, Princess Iman, 27, and Princess Salma, 23, are not in the line of succession.

Crown Prince Hussein and Princess Rajwa appeared to honor his sister by naming their daughter Iman, an Arabic name meaning “belief” and “faith.” Her birth was announced by the Royal Hashemite Court, and proud grandmother Queen Rania posted photos of the family’s visit soon after.

“Iman, you’ve already got a hold of my heart. Our family has never been happier,” she wrote below the carousel on Instagram.

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