Prince Harry and Meghan Markle crossed paths with members of the Jordanian royal family during their trip to Jordan this week. The Duke and Duchess of Sussex met with Princess Basma bint Talal, aunt of Jordan’s King Abdullah II, and her daughter Farah Daghistani, HELLO! confirmed.
The royal encounter took place on Thursday, February 26, at the Jordanian Hashemite Fund for Human Development (JOHUD), a non-profit organization that was established to improve the lives of the poorest Jordanians. Princess Basma has been chairperson of JOHUD since 1977.
Meghan and Harry kicked off their surprise visit to Jordan on Wednesday. The California-based couple traveled to the country at the invitation of the World Health Organisation’s director-general Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesu to learn more about humanitarian efforts supporting the health and well-being of Syrians and Palestinians who have taken refuge in the country over the years.
© Handout/World Health Organisation via Getty ImagesMeghan and Harry visited the Jordanian Hashemite Fund for Human Development on February 26
The Duke and Duchess’ whirlwind, two-day trip included a roundtable at the World Health Organization’s offices in Amman, as well as visits to the World Central Kitchen logistics hub, the National Centre for Rehabilitation of Addicts (NCRA), the Questscope Youth Centre, The Specialty Hospital and the British Ambassador’s residence for Iftar.
A royal friendship
Prince William has spoken in the past of the ties between the UK and Jordan stretching back over generations. “Our historic ties and friendship are played out in the lives of thousands of people who consider both countries home,” the Prince of Wales said during a solo visit to Jordan in 2018. During that trip, he and Crown Prince Hussein of Jordan, son of King Abdullah II and Queen Rania, were pictured watching a rerun of an England soccer match together.
When King Charles visited Jordan in 2021, King Abdullah spoke about their sons’ relationship saying (via The Jordan Times ), “To see two young men, our sons, establish their relationship really warms my heart.”
That friendship has continued to flourish through the years. William and Catherine were guests at Hussein and Princess Rajwa’s royal wedding in 2023. Over two years later, the two couples reunited in the UK. William and Catherine welcomed the Jordanian Crown Prince and Princess to Windsor Castle last October. The Prince of Wales and Hussein later undertook a joint engagement, visiting the RAF Benson in Wallingford.
© Alamy Stock PhotoThe Prince and Princess of Wales reunited with Jordan’s Crown Prince and Princess Rajwa in October 2025
Catherine’s connection
The Princess of Wales had a personal connection to Jordan before ever marrying into the British royal family. At the age of 2, Catherine moved to the capital, Amman, where her father, Michael Middleton, worked for two and a half years. Prince William revealed during his 2018 visit to the country that his wife “loved it here, she really did.”
In a speech at a party celebrating Queen Elizabeth’s birthday in Jordan, the heir to the throne shared that his wife’s “family remembers very fondly the almost three years she spent here as a child when her father worked for British Airways in Amman. Catherine’s experience is not unique – the interchange between our two countries is real and deep: work, study, tourism and family links.”
Catherine has since returned to Jordan with her own children. The Prince and Princess of Wales enjoyed a private family holiday to Jordan with their kids, Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis, in 2021. A photo from the trip was used for the Wales family’s Christmas card that year.