RABAT, March 21: Morocco’s King Mohammed, 38, wed a 24-year-old computer engineer on Thursday during a private ceremony at the royal palace that could do much to boost the Sharifian dynasty’s image as a modern institution.

The evening ceremony united the king with Salma Bennani, an information systems engineer, who for the first time in the history of the kingdom will have the title royal highness, though she will not be queen.

The title, however, underscores Mohammed’s desire to grant his wife a role as wife of the head of state.

It will be followed by a celebration on April 12 at Marrakesh with due pomp and ceremony in the presence of Moroccan and foreign guests.

The highly publicized announcement of the marriage by the palace broke with tradition in Morocco, which until now had kept royal wives hidden behind a veil of privacy.

The couple first met in 1999, a few months before the death of king Hassan II, but the meeting was happenstance contrary to the pairings arranged by the families.

As crown prince, Mohammed, was a keen party-goer and since ascending to the throne on July 23, 1999 following the death of his father, he has forged a reputation as a modernizer.—AFP