Let’s take a trip way back in time, to 1978, and admire the wholesome and timeless wedding look of American Lisa Halaby, whom you probably know as Queen Noor — the American woman who became the fourth wife of King Hussein of Jordan. (She’s the latest in our string of American women marrying into royal families, joining Meghan Markle, Grace Kelly, and Hope Cook.) Queen Noor was a Princeton grad who met the King under very vague circumstances — I’m sure it wasn’t scandalous, just unremarkable, but if it was scandalous, PLEASE TELL ME — and it seems like she was (and still is) very philanthropically and community-oriented, both as queen and now. (Unofficial Royalty’s very comprehensive piece on this wedding claims her father introduced the couple, and also that she “agonized” over the proposal for more than two weeks.)
It’s always illuminating to read contemporaneously-written coverage of these weddings; the Washington Post’s coverage of this one is quite interesting, and it’s very entertaining to read the Princeton Alumni Weekly coverage, which is surprisingly gossip-y, and which includes the Wiki-deep-dive-esque line, talking about Hussein, “[a]lthough a reputed playboy in his youth, he has seen his grandfather assassinated, his father driven insane on the throne, and numerous attempts on his own life.” That seems like a lot! This is also a fascinating piece from the New York Times, written five months after the wedding, and essentially checking in on Noor’s transition to being the Queen of Jordan; it feels very frank.
But let’s talk dresses, shall we? Queen Noor’s gown was designed by Christian Dior (although allegedly it’s based on an Yves St Laurent dress she already owned, and I can see that), and honestly, someone could wear this today to their small outdoor wedding and everyone would be delighted by it:
Bonus points for a perfectly proportioned bouquet! (Her veil, which you can see a bit better in the next snap, is also very glorious.)
Behold their cake, which I read was a fruitcake:
Is there anything more thrilling than getting to cut your cake with a sword? I posit that there is not.
