Jordan's Princess Raiyah bint Al Hussein, 34, has married Roald Dahl's grandson, Ned Donovan, 26, in an intimate ceremony in the UK.
Guests sat at a distance from one another while the couple were formally married in order to adhere to social-distancing advice.
The couple were due to marry in Jordan in April, however plans were put on hold because of the coronavirus pandemic.
They didn't announce the date of their ceremony, but the bride tweeted pictures and thanks to well-wishers on Tuesday, July 7. In the message she wrote: "God willing we look forward to celebrating in Jordan once the situation allows".
Princess Raiyah is the daughter of the late King Hussein of Jordan and Queen Noor of Jordan, and is the half-sister of King Abdullah II of Jordan, who gave his blessing to the marriage.
Queen Noor attended the ceremony, Jordan's ambassador to the UK, Omar Nahar, was also there, as were members of the Donovan family.
The couple got engaged on October 26, 2019, and a royal statement at the time read: "The Royal Hashemite Court extends its sincere congratulations to Her Royal Highness Princess Raiyah and to Mr Donovan on this occasion."
The grandson of beloved British children's book author, Roald Dahl, Donovan is a freelance journalist, and has contributed to The Spectator, New Statesman and The Telegraph. His mother is Tessa Dahl and his father is entrepreneur, Patrick Donovan.
Ned Donovan took the name Faris after converting
Donovan converted to Islam before the wedding, and took the name Faris. He is currently learning Arabic.
"I recently completed an intensive Modern Standard Arabic course, which taught me two things: that my Arabic is not very good, and that I will keep trying to improve it," he previously wrote on his website.
"Primarily my interests lie in Asia, specifically the Middle East and the Indian subcontinent."
Princess Raiyah studied at Edinburgh University in Scotland, where she earned an undergraduate master's degree in Japanese studies. She also holds a master's degree in Japanese literature from New York's Columbia University and is currently a PhD candidate in pre-modern Japanese literature at UCLA.
Take a look at the style evolution of Queen Rania of Jordan here:
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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Game Changer
Director: Shankar
Stars: Ram Charan, Kiara Advani, Anjali, S J Suryah, Jayaram
Rating: 2/5
10 tips for entry-level job seekers
- Have an up-to-date, professional LinkedIn profile. If you don’t have a LinkedIn account, set one up today. Avoid poor-quality profile pictures with distracting backgrounds. Include a professional summary and begin to grow your network.
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- For most entry-level jobs, your resume will first be filtered by an applicant tracking system for keywords. Look closely at the description of the job you are applying for and mirror the language as much as possible (while being honest and accurate about your skills and experience).
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- Go online and look for details on job specifications for your target position. Make a list of skills required and set yourself some learning goals to tick off all the necessary skills one by one.
- Don’t be afraid to reach outside your immediate friends and family to other acquaintances and let them know you are looking for new opportunities.
- Make sure you’ve set your LinkedIn profile to signal that you are “open to opportunities”. Also be sure to use LinkedIn to search for people who are still actively hiring by searching for those that have the headline “I’m hiring” or “We’re hiring” in their profile.
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Arda Atalay, head of Mena private sector at LinkedIn Talent Solutions, Rudy Bier, managing partner of Kinetic Business Solutions and Ben Kinerman Daltrey, co-founder of KinFitz
MATCH INFO
Sheffield United 0 Wolves 2 (Jimenez 3', Saiss 6)
Man of the Match Romain Saiss (Wolves)
THE SPECS
Engine: 6.0-litre, twin-turbocharged W12
Transmission: eight-speed automatic
Power: 626bhp
Torque: 900Nm
Price: Dh1,050,000
On sale: now
MATCH INFO
First Test at Barbados
West Indies won by 381 runs
Second Test at Antigua
West Indies won by 10 wickets
Third Test at St Lucia
February 9-13
Timeline
2012-2015
The company offers payments/bribes to win key contracts in the Middle East
May 2017
The UK SFO officially opens investigation into Petrofac’s use of agents, corruption, and potential bribery to secure contracts
September 2021
Petrofac pleads guilty to seven counts of failing to prevent bribery under the UK Bribery Act
October 2021
Court fines Petrofac £77 million for bribery. Former executive receives a two-year suspended sentence
December 2024
Petrofac enters into comprehensive restructuring to strengthen the financial position of the group
May 2025
The High Court of England and Wales approves the company’s restructuring plan
July 2025
The Court of Appeal issues a judgment challenging parts of the restructuring plan
August 2025
Petrofac issues a business update to execute the restructuring and confirms it will appeal the Court of Appeal decision
October 2025
Petrofac loses a major TenneT offshore wind contract worth €13 billion. Holding company files for administration in the UK. Petrofac delisted from the London Stock Exchange
November 2025
180 Petrofac employees laid off in the UAE
