Princess Raiyah bint Al-Hussein of Jordan has secretly split from her husband Ned Donovan, it has been revealed. The 40-year-old tied the knot with Ned, who is late author Roald Dahl’s grandson, in July 2020 – the first royal wedding after the first Covid-19 lockdown.
Just 10 days later, Princess Beatrice and Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi tied the knot – the second royal wedding post-lockdown. News of the half-sister of the current King Abdullah II’s divorce comes after reports confirmed that Ned had recently married American influencer Megan Tomlin.
According to the Daily Mail’s diary editor Richard Eden, the couple wed at St Margaret’s Church in Babington, Somerset last week.
Guests at Ned’s recent nuptials included his half-sister, writer Sophie Dahl, and his godfather Sir Nicholas Coleridge, who is the new chairman of the King’s Foundation and provost of Eton College.
Following their wedding six years ago, Princess Raiyah shared two pictures from their wedding day to her X account, formerly known as Twitter.
One picture showed her sitting behind her new husband in his morning suit and signing the marriage certificate.
The wedding was originally planned for April 2020, but was later postponed due to the pandemic.
Following their wedding day, she wrote on social media: “Thank you all for your kind messages on our wedding!”
She also added: “While it was originally planned for April in Jordan, the pandemic derailed those plans and it was safer for my husband’s family to hold it in the UK. God willing we look forward to celebrating in Jordan once the situation allows.”
The former couple married at Queen Noor’s London residence in an intimate ceremony attended by just a small handful of guests, including the bride’s mother.