Queen Rania's 2019- Her Majesty's year in review & end of year message

by Zef Dahlia - 18:45

Hello, Bonjour, Akwaba everyone, end of the year is back once, Yes Christmas, Hanukkah and New Years days have found themselves in our midst once again and it is time for my annual end of year message.

“Like any mother, I want my children to be happy and fulfilled and challenged but also I really want them to be decent human beings,” Queen Rania says of her drive to instil compassion and empathy in her children. “As parents we’re always very protective over our kids and eager to take care of their needs but I think we need to teach them from a young age to balance their needs with other people’s needs. Whether it’s standing up to a bully or sharing a toy; those are qualities that you instil in your kids from a young age.”

2019 has been a very interesting one... too interesting because it started on a intriguing kind off misunderstanding foot and almost ended on the same foot. I will not be redigging the many issues as I spoke about it on my twitter account.

Other than the intriguing start, 2019 let's just say has been in busy one in the Hashemites' household as well as in the royal world. I was very much excited to write this one and a few issues I notice has change in Her Majesty's PR department, I said let's get crackin' on the post shall we. This will be a resume of this years' activities and fashion.

“Fear is a powerful emotion, and, in today’s uncertain world, it has become a potent political force,” she later continued and explained. “People are worried about the economy, social and technological disruptions, violence and terror attacks… They’re worried about their future, and the future of their families.” In times of seismic change, she explains, it is natural to seek comfort in the familiar as people can feel left behind, which creates “room for others to capitalise on their unease, and to sow divisions and hatred.”

2019 marked the 20th year since His Majesty ascended the throne in on February 7th 1999 and was crowned on June 9th 1999. It also marked the 20th anniversary of Her Majesty being crowned as Queen in September 1999.

“For too long that voice has been quite muted,” she says.“When it comes to women from the Middle East you’ll find a lot of international experts ready to jump in and speak on their behalf, but you get narratives that are either inaccurate or just stereotypes. Women are usually painted with two broad brushstrokes, whether as dangerous extremists or oppressed victims; the nuance is lost in the narrative. Authentic voices from the Middle East are few and far between and it’s absolutely critical that women do speak for themselves because the stereotypes really don’t capture what women in the Middle East are all about.”

To summarize 2019, education, women's empowerment, Youth and Entrepreneurship, arts, children were the Queen's theme. There were also lots of traveling and working visit. During the year, His Majesty won The Lamp of Peace Award, Her Majesty was the front cover of Harper's Bazaar Arabia and Hola! Magazine, she travelled to Mecca accompanying widows and orphans for the annual pilgrimage. She and the King launched the QRTA campus and many others.

There were a few highlights for this year and so many of them were blogged and can be found in the Rania's Closet section of the blog.

“In Jordan girls are much higher achievers academically than boys are, but the challenge is how do you transform those academic achievements into successful careers? All the time we see women bumping into glass ceilings and barriers in the work place. A lot of times it is because there is just a bias and a lot of times it’s because the working environment is not helpful or not conducive for women.”

The issue I have had this year was the slow updates on Her Majesty's public work and the little information available. I don't really know what was at the top of the PR program but please scrap it and bring back the past strategy.

“Listening to criticism is part of my job,” she smiles. “It’s important to respect all different viewpoints, and sometimes it’s the people who disagree with you who are able to point out something you may have overlooked. But criticism is constructive only when it is based on fact. Sadly, in today’s media landscape, false information can become irrefutable fact in a matter of hours.”

"I'm not ready to give up on humanity,” says Queen Rania Al Abdullah of Jordan, the steel in Her Majesty’s voice belying her softly smiling eyes.

“If I were to be queen in a different time, I do not expect that it would be any different,” she says pragmatically, “The world will always bear witness to catastrophic events, some naturally occurring, others man-made. Giving up or even slowing down is not an option, neither for me, nor for His Majesty.”

One event this year I would have loved to see Their Majesties attend was the Their Imperial Majesties Emperor Naruhito and Empress Masako's Enthronement ceremony.


	“I think cultural and familial barriers really hold women back but I’m always inspired by how determined Arab women are. Because we are faced with all these challenges we try that much harder, so they’re very resourceful.”

I know it is a lot to ask as Her Majesty works a lot behind the scenes and in private on various projects but my wish for 2020 is too see Her Majesty regain the public works she has established and done.

“It isn’t really about the magnitude of the crises we face, but what we choose to learn from them, and how we use those lessons to become better leaders, citizens and human beings.” “We couldn’t turn away innocent people fleeing war, death and despair,” Queen Rania states simply, “I think the choice Jordan, its leadership and its people made when Syrians started fleeing across the border will go down in history as an example of moral leadership and moral courage.”

Style:
Just like her events which were a mixture of everything, one thing’s for certain 2019's style for Her Majesty has given us plenty of wardrobe inspiration for the foresable future.

"Our religion preaches compassion, tolerance, forgiveness and embracing people of other faiths; it condemns hatred, prejudice and bigotry.” to those who spread falseness about the faith she has a few words for you, “There can be no true understanding or trust in a world divided by walls – and not only those walls built of concrete and stone…But the walls we erect in our minds.

To mark Her Majesty's 20th anniversary since becoming Queen I will go through my top 20 best dressed(In no particular order) and my not so many disappointments.

She urges us all to follow suit. “I think it’s the most important thing in the world to be authentic, to live according to your beliefs and to speak your truth. Particularly at this time because the public discourse is dominated by hatred and intolerance and anger and fear, and so we need to provide a counter-narrative to that, particularly for people in public positions.”

“The women that I see and interact with are so strong, they are so determined, they are so ambitious, they are resilient. A lot of them are extremely well-educated. A lot of them are high achievers,” Queen Rania agrees, adding,

“With time and experience, I’ve become more comfortable in my own skin. There is nothing more important than being authentic, saying and doing what we believe in, and owning our narrative. If we don’t, others will fill in the gaps on our behalf,” she says. “I’ve learnt that the path to progress is long, hard, and often thankless – if you let fear of criticism paralyse you, you’ll never make it out the door. The difficult choices – the ones we most fear – are often those that need to be made.That fear is there to let us know that they are worth it.”

2019 was a year of thousand Jordanian Thoubs, lots of repeats and lots of High fashion streetwear. She also introduced us to Amanda Wakeley, Manaf Obediat, Kanz, Liya, Petra Ofali, Cefinn, Kaftans, Dalood Tbilisi and many others which can be found in Rania's Closet section of the blog.

“I never really made a conscious decision to be outspoken, I feel it’s something that I have to do because any voice raised against injustice erodes the power of that injustice.” She urges us all to follow suit. “I think it’s the most important thing in the world to be authentic, to live according to your beliefs and to speak your truth. Particularly at this time because the public discourse is dominated by hatred and intolerance and anger and fear, and so we need to provide a counter-narrative to that, particularly for people in public positions.”

Top 20 looks of 2019 in no particular order: