One is a princess in the Jordanian royal family and the other is the grandson of British literary royalty.

On Tuesday, the Royal Hashemtite Court announced the engagement of Princess Raiyah bint Al Hussein to Ned Donovan, a journalist whose grandfather was the best-selling children’s author Roald Dahl.

In an official communiqué issued by authorities in Amman, the Jordanian royal family said it was extending its “sincere congratulations” to the couple “on this occasion”.

Mr Donovan, 25, who is a freelance journalist currently based in Delhi, shared the announcement on Twitter, adding: “I am thrilled to share some incredibly happy news with you all.”

Mr Donovan is the son of the actress and model Tessa Dahl, the daughter of Roald Dahl and the American actress Patricia Neal. His father is Patrick Donovan, a businessman and son of an Australian diplomat.