Jordan’s royal family has reportedly caused an uproar on the Italian island of Sardinia, where alleged plans for a secret wedding bash to celebrate Crown Prince Hussein bin Abdullah tying the knot include a “monster” marquee that locals just don’t want to see.
The 28-year-old crown prince is officially due to wed his bride-to-be, Rajwa Khaled Al Saif, at what the family bills as a “highly anticipated royal wedding” in Amman on June 1. But Italian media reports say the pair will also celebrate their nuptials at a party in Sardinia on June 10.
A “gigantic tubular steel gazebo” that clocks in at over 10 meters high and at least 50 long has been erected on the shoreline of Tavolara Island, according to Il Messaggero, describing the structure as an “eco-monster.”
The gazebo is said to have been set up on the Villa Joy estate, which was rented out for the Jordanian royal family’s big event. La Nuova reports that 450 guests are expected to attend, including some unspecified heads of state.
Environmentalists have reportedly sounded the alarm over the party set-up, appealing to prosecutors and local police to look into whether organizers cut any corners by setting up the massive display on protected land.
“We want to understand if the necessary environmental checks have been carried out,” a spokesperson for the Legal Intervention Group said in comments to local media.
“Laws in force establish a landscape constraint and a specific integral conservation constraint to protect the 300-meter strip from the seashore,” the group said.
The local mayor, Francesco Lai, has assured locals that an inspection had been carried out in the area and they are “now awaiting the results of the investigations.”
“I can certainly say that we will be compliant so that the structure is removed immediately after the event,” he was quoted saying.
Jordan’s royal family, for their part, deny that they have any plans to host a “ceremony” in Sardinia, stressing that the wedding itself, featuring “numerous VIP guests from around the world,” will take place in the country’s capital.
Meanwhile, Queen Rania has already been hyping up the wedding on social media, posting a flurry of photos and videos of the bride-to-be on Instagram as she attended a henna party to honor the big day.
“No celebration would be complete without our Jordanian family. Celebrating our beautiful Rajwa,” she captioned one photo on Tuesday.
