Queen Rania says being an empty nester is a 'wave of emotions'© Nathan Congleton/NBC via Getty Images

Queen Rania talks being an empty nester: ‘It’s just this wave of emotions’

It’s been a busy year for the royal mom of four


OCTOBER 4, 2023 6:41 PM EDT

 Queen Rania  of Jordan’s youngest child has left the nest! The royal mom of four spoke about being an empty nester last month during an appearance on the  TODAY   show. After being shown footage of her 18-year-old son Prince Hashem as a baby, Her Majesty told Hoda Kotb, “It’s just scary how time flies, right? I mean, you know, as parents, I think it’s our job to, you know, take care of our kids until they are old enough to go out into the world, but [that] doesn’t make it easy when that day comes, actually. And, you know, in the span of three months, from the end of March to the beginning of June, I had two children get married and two graduate. I mean, what was I thinking?”

Rania’s eldest child,  Crown Prince Hussein , and oldest daughter Princess Iman  both got married earlier this year, while her second daughter  Princess Salma   graduated from USC in May followed by Prince Hashem’s  graduation from high school later that month.

“I’m an empty nester right now, you know. It’s just this wave of emotions,” Queen Rania said. “You know, with Iman, it was a new experience for our family because she’s the first one to get married. And there was so much planning and anticipation, culminated in a really beautiful and emotional day.”

She continued, “Nothing can prepare you for the moment you see your daughter in that white dress. You know, the mixture of emotions of, you know, pride at the strong and independent woman she’s become, joy for her joy, sadness for her leaving home. It all comes together and nothing can prepare you for that.”

During her recent visit to New York, the Queen attended the Middle East Global Summit with her husband King Abdullah II and their two sons, Hussein and Hashem. In addition to the Big Apple, the Crown Prince also visited Washington, D.C. with his wife Princess Rajwa. During their time in D.C., Hussein posted a picture of himself and Rajwa with his younger brother, writing, “Checking in on Hashem this morning.” Hussein graduated from Georgetown University in Washington, D.C back in 2016. It’s unclear which college Hashem is studying at.