Growing family

Queen Rania reveals her twin granddaughters' names — and the tribute hidden in them


Princess Iman welcomed her second and third children on August 14.


Queen Rania of Jordan announces she will be a grandmother for the third time: 'The club of grandchildren is growing'© Getty Images
Maria LoretoSenior Writer
AUGUST 17, 2026 11:08 AM EDT

The Hashemite family's grandchildren club has doubled in size. On Friday, August 14, Princess Iman bint Abdullah II gave birth to twin girls with her husband, Jameel Alexander Thermiotis — the third and fourth grandchildren of King Abdullah II and Queen Rania in just over two years. The Royal Hashemite Court shared the news within hours: "The Royal Hashemite Court is pleased to announce that Her Royal Highness Princess Iman bint Abdullah II and Mr. Jameel Alexander Thermiotis were blessed, on 14 August 2026, with twin baby girls," the palace said, extending "its sincere congratulations and best wishes to Princess Iman and Mr. Jameel, as well as to Their Majesties King Abdullah II ibn Al Hussein and Queen Rania Al Abdullah on this happy occasion."

Queen Rania holds her granddaughter Princess Iman, the daughter of Crown Prince Hussein and Princess Rajwa, as King Abdullah II looks on in August 2024. The royal couple now have four granddaughters following the birth of Princess Iman's twins.© PPE
Queen Rania has revealed the names of her twin granddaughters

What the court didn't confirm right away were the names. That reveal belonged to the new grandmother.

A grandmother's caption says it all

On Saturday morning, less than 24 hours after the twins arrived, Queen Rania posted photos of the family meeting the newest additions. "Healthy, happy and finally here. We've been waiting so long to meet you, Talia and Rania. Congratulations Iman, Jameel and sweet big sister Amina!" reads the post's caption.

It was a short, warm note — but it carried a second announcement inside it. One twin had just been named after her.

Two names, two very different roots

Princess Iman and Jameel Alexander Thermiotis have expanded their family with the arrival of twin girls, their second and third children.© Abaca Press
Princess Iman and Jameel Alexander Thermiotis have grown their family

Rania is an Arabic name built on a root meaning "to gaze" or "to look intently" — often rendered as "the one who gazes," and sometimes given the more poetic shades of "enchanting" or "radiant." Giving it to one of the twins makes the tribute to their grandmother unmistakable.

Talia carries no family reference at all. It's a name with Hebrew roots, generally translated as "dew of God" or, more loosely, "morning dew." 

The family Iman didn't see coming — publicly, at least

Princess Iman and Jameel Alexander Thermiotis kept the twin pregnancy private. Queen Rania broke the news herself back in early July, posting a photo of her pregnant daughter with a caption that read: "A new joy on the way. The grandchildren club is growing, and we couldn't be happier for Iman, Jameel and soon-to-be big sister Amina!" 

There was no mention, at that point, that two babies were on the way rather than one.

Iman of Jordan Takes Center Stage in Prince Hussein and Princess Rajwa’s New Year Message© @alhusseinjo
Hussein and Rajwa of Jordan with Princess Iman, named after her aunt

Talia and Rania now have an older sister, Amina, born in February 2025 — two years after Iman and Jameel married in March 2023. With this second pregnancy, the couple has gone from a family of three to a family of five. 

Four granddaughters, and counting

The twins bring King Abdullah II and Queen Rania's tally of grandchildren to four, all girls. The first was Iman — the same name as her aunt — born August 3, 2024, to Crown Prince Hussein and Princess Rajwa. That birth opened a new generation at the Jordanian court; Talia and Rania's arrival, just over two years later, cements it.

None of the four, notably, is in line for the Hashemite throne. Jordanian succession law reserves the crown for male heirs, so however the family tree grows from here, the line of succession stays exactly where it was before the twins were born.

King Abdullah II and Queen Rania with their children, grandchildren and extended family in a photo shared in December 2025. The arrival of Princess Iman's twin girls has made the King and Queen grandparents of four.© PPE
King Abdullah II and Queen Rania with their children, grandchildren and extended family