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In a quiet ceremony in Amman Thursday, Jordan’s Prince Hamzah married pilot Basma Bani. The bride, age 26, is a Canadian who’s parents are Jordanian.
 See more photos of the wedding here For the wedding, King Abdullah II, Queen Rania and Queen Noor were in attendance, as well as the bride’s family.
A lunch banquet was held at Basman Palace after the ceremony.
This is the second marriage for the former heir to the Jordanian throne. Hamzah was previously married to a distant cousin, Princess Noor, whom he has a daughter with. The two quietly divorced a few years ago.
The Prince became the Crown Prince of Jordan upon the death of his father, the late King Hussein. But in 2004, King Abdullah II dismissed Hamzah of his position and made his son the Crown Prince.
Source: Petra, The Royal Forums
 Click here to view more images Her Majesty Queen Noor of Jordan was an honoree at Thursday’s 2011 UNICEF Ball held in Los Angeles. She took home the Woman of Compassion award, something she was pleased to win.
“Humbled by UNICEF’s Woman of Compassion tribute today esp as King Hussein my model of compass leadership&UNICEF is ultimate compass org,” the Queen wrote on Twitter.
Noor was among many Hollywood celebrities that night including Nicole Ritchie, Brooklyn Decker, Rose McGowan, Matthew Morrison, Jenna Elfman and Jayma Mays.
Sources: Twitter, Gossip Center
 Astrid Stawiarz/Getty Images/FILE Queen Noor of Jordan is planning a dinner for six to eight guests at her Washington, DC area home, possibly next month. The dinner is for charity, and the guests are not her friends – but you. Yes, you!
What you have to do is bid thousands to be one of the top six or eight guests in order to win a seat.
The proceeds will benefit Christie’s Green Auction: A Bid to Save the Earth.
During the dinner, Queen Noor plans to discuss world politics with her winning guests. As someone who was consort to the late King Hussein, a man who sought for peace in the Middle East, this is one person you could learn a lot from.
The meal will be done with sustainably-grown ingredients by celebrity chef Art Smith.
For more information or to bid, click here.
As the world reacted with shock and sadness at the 8.9 earthquake that struck Japan Friday, world leaders were quick to express their condolences to Emperor Akihito, the head of state.
 AP Photo/Keichi Nakane, The Yomiuri Shimbun
“I was saddened to hear of the tragic loss of life caused by the earthquake which has struck north east Japan today,” Britain’s Queen Elizabeth II told the emperor.
“Prince Philip joins me in extending our heartfelt sympathy to your Majesty and the people of Japan. Our prayers and thoughts are with everyone who has been affected by the dreadful disaster.”
On Twitter, the two Queens of Jordan expressed their sadness over the disaster.
“My heart goes out to all affected by quake &tsunami in Japan including my beloved child who works there. God bless. &protect all,” tweeted Queen Noor, who was referring to youngest daughter, Princess Raiyah.
Noor’s stepdaughter-in-law, Queen Rania, wrote on the social networking site: “Awestruck by devastating power of nature in Japan. Thoughts & prayers are with those who lost loved ones, & those who wait in uncertainty.”
“A truly humbling reminder of our vulnerability, as humans in the end, we only have each other and our faith.”
On a personal note, I would like to express my condolences to the Japanese readers of Royalty in the News. The world is on your side, and my prayers are with you. – Megan
Sources: Telegraph, Twitter
Jordan’s Queen Noor, the American-born wife of the late King Hussein, appeared on CNN’S Piers Morgan Monday night where she was asked about the anti-government protests in the Middle East. One of the topics came up was the Muslim Brotherhood, which has been accused of being extremist by some American politicians.
 Michael Loccisano/Getty Images/FILE The Queen said the Brotherhood is “one of the many groups throughout the region that have points of view that need to come to the table, need to be part of the dialogue and the governance-building process.”
“That is a very polarizing approach that has dominated for a very long time that assumes any religious group is dangerous and extreme,” Noor also said.
“Religion is important to most Arabs, and most Arabs are moderate, peaceful, centrists.”
She also condemned former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich for his comments that the Muslim Brotherhood is “a mortal enemy of our civilization, they say so openly…their way is jihad, their method is death.”
Queen Noor’s told Piers Morgan that Gingrich’s comments were “terribly unhelpful.” But she added that there are enough people in America “providing very nuanced and thoughtful analysis”.
The Muslim Brotherhood, founded in 1920, is considered to be the oldest political group in the Middle East. It has been called moderate, nonviolent and conservative, but not extremist. In the past, it has renounced violence and even the United States dropped it from its list of terrorist groups in the 1970s.
Noor also criticized the United States for its financial aid towards Egypt, which she said went to the military rather than poor Egyptian citizens.
“I think it is telling, if you are looking where U.S. aid has been targeted,” she said during an appearance on MSNBC.
“Much of the aid ends up being military aid. You don’t have the same proportion, or what should be a greater proportion, into the human security needs of a country: building civil society, building those institutions that can help create a space for many different points of view to work together, in participatory decision-making.”
To see video of Her Majesty defending the Muslim Brotherhood, click here.
Source: AOL News, CNN
Monday marked the beginning of the 30th annual International Arab Children’s Congress, taking place in Amman. Started by the late King Hussein in 1980, the Congress seeks to discuss and bring about solutions to global issues young people are facing.
 REUTERS/Muhammad Hamed The King’s widow, Queen Noor, was at the Congress’ opening ceremony which featured Lebanese singer Nancy Ajram, who is UNICEF’s regional goodwill ambassador to the Middle East and North Africa.
Each year, the Congress focuses on a different issue. For 2010, the topic is the environment. During this week, 150 participants from 20 countries, between the ages of 14 and 16 will come up with ways to protect the planet, discuss how harming the environment harms its inhabitants and talk about alternative energy.
“[Environment] is a topic of critical importance to many of our countries, given the fragile nature of our geographies, the chronic shortage of water in many regions, and increasing population pressures,” Queen Noor said in a statement issued by the King Hussein Foundation’s National Center for Culture and Arts (NCCA)
“The goal of the congress is to raise awareness of this issue, and promote better understanding of the dangers we all will face if this threat is not tackled immediately and boldly. We hope to inspire our network of future leaders to clearly and courageously insist that in the future, the air that we breathe will be clear, the water we drink will not be contaminated, and the food that we eat will be safe,” Queen Noor added.
Originally meant for Arab children, the Congress expanded to include European and Asian youths in 2004 for its annual gathering.
Source: Jordan Times
This week, Queen Noor of Jordan was at the world famous Cannes Film Festival where she promoted the documentary, “Countdown to Zero” which tells about the threat of nuclear weapons. By promoting this film, the Queen was further campaigning for the elimination of nuclear arms.
 Sean Gallup/Getty Images Europe Noor first promoted “Countdown to Zero” on Sunday, where she did a photocall with the film’s director Lucy Walker and former C.I.A. officer Valerie Plame Wilson, who is also campaigning against nuclear weapons. Joining in on the photocall was U.S. actress Meg Ryan, whom the Queen seemed thrilled to be posing with.
On Monday, Noor dressed up in a black gown to attend the premiere of the documentary.
“Countdown” insists that there is still a threat of nuclear arms falling into the wrong hands and will be used to attack people when they least expect it. The film begins with a quote from former U.S. President John F. Kennedy, “Every man, woman and child lives under a nuclear sword of Damocles, hanging by the slenderest of threads, capable of being cut at any moment by accident, miscalculation or madness.”
“I truly believe this is the most urgent threat we face as human beings,” Lucy Walker told reporters. “And that’s why I chose to make this movie.”
Queer Noor added, “I believe this film needs to be seen throughout the world, and help those populations mobilize to put pressure on political leaders or support political leaders who support the elimination of nuclear weapons.”
The 63rd Annual Cannes Film Festival will end on May 23rd.
Sources: Daily Telegraph, Wall Street Journal Blog
 Alex Wong/Getty Images During a press conference at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C., Jordan’s Queen Noor praised recent efforts to ban nuclear weapons, but said there is still more that needs to be done.
“We are at a nuclear tipping point,” she said, adding “there is still time to change direction.”
“The progress that we have seen over the past year with President Obama… has been very encouraging but we still have so far to go,” said Queen Noor, the American-born widow of the late King Hussein.
The Queen was speaking on behalf of Global Zero, an international campaign to eliminate nuclear arms. She spoke on the very day U.S. President Barack Obama and Russian President Dmitry Medvedev signed a nuclear arms reduction treaty, which succeeded the START pact from way back in 1991.
Global Zero also showed a documentary during the press conference. The film was about how the threat of nuclear weapons is still alive 20 years after the Cold War ended.
Source: The Citizen
Jordan’s Queen Noor was one of the 200 attendants at Tuesday’s Global Zero World Summit in Paris. The Summit targets a ban on nuclear weapons, with UN Secretary General Ban ki-Moon leading the disarmament.
 Pascal Le Segretain/Getty Images Iran was on the minds of the participants, especially since the country has been making headlines with its nuclear program. But Queen Noor warned on signaling out the Islamic Republic.
“There is no benefit in selective targeting. Exceptions fuel tensions,” she warned. “You have to hold all states accountable.”
That also meant Israel, which never formally acknowledged its nuclear arms but its neighbors in the Middle East are well aware of it. The Queen’s comment was immediately shot down by George Shultz, the former U.S. Secretary of State under President Reagan.
“You can’t start by telling Israel to get rid of its weapons,” when it is in a region surrounded by people “who question its right to exist.”
The summit is to last for three days. Noor, the widow of King Hussein, is expected to take part for all days since she is one of the biggest campaigner for nuclear disarmament.
 Photo by Andrew H. Walker/Getty Images for DIFF This past weekend saw the 6th annual Dubai International Film Festival open. Royals and celebrities from all over the Middle East have been taking part in the event, and among them is Jordan’s Queen Noor. She spoke at Sunday’s annual Culture Bridge panel as a guest of honor.
In her speech, the Queen said media platforms like this Film Festival (DIFF) can bring exposure on a global scale about the perspectives and narratives of one another’s culture. For example, movies like Burdus, which was shown at the panel, have the power to open communication and display how media can influence people.
Queen Noor cited personal examples and insights when she explained that media has the power to shift behavior and thinking, and can cut through differences and promote peace and prosperity.
Click here to see an interview with the Queen about how movies can help solve certain situations, such as the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
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