Prince of Brunei. How the world's most eligible bachelor lives

“The Sun Princess” is what the residents of the Sultanate of Brunei call their crown princess. Crown Princess Sarah is the most popular member of the Sultan's large family.

She joined the Brunei royal family at a very young age. Sarah turned 28 this spring. And in 2004, when she became the wife of a 30-year-old Crown Prince Al-Muhtadi Bill, the bride was less than 17 years old, and she was still in college. Then the Sultan's family was rocked by scandals: the Sultan's divorce from his second wife Mariam, convicted of treason, colossal waste of the state treasury by the Sultan's younger brother, the divorce of the Sultan's beloved daughter from her rowdy husband (who did not hesitate to beat his wife and children in front of the servants).

In general, the image of the Sultan's family in the eyes of his subjects was not very good in those days. There was a real hunt for Crown Prince al-Muhtadi Bill. High-ranking officials and relatives of the Sultan's family vied with each other to arrange for the crown prince to meet a girl from his entourage. She becomes a mistress - good, marries the crown prince - generally excellent. If only he were closer to the Sultan's power and to the treasury.

Local media discussed whether the tenacious and ambitious TV news anchor Zeinal would get the prince. She has already boasted to her friends that “it’s all in the bag.” As it turned out, I boasted too early.

Official notice of the Crown Prince's engagement to Sarah Saleh It was like a bolt from the blue for the Bruneians. Sarah grew up in Switzerland. Her father, a distant relative of the Sultan of Brunei, works as an engineer for a water treatment company. Her mother, a German by nationality, Susanna Aebi, worked as a nurse for many years. A modest and friendly family, where little Sarah was adored by everyone - both her parents and her older brothers. Neighbors and classmates also note the girl’s extraordinary charm and ability to communicate with people.

The initiator of the marriage was Sultan of Brunei Hassanal Bolkiah, who sent his son to Switzerland on a business trip, and asked Sarah’s parents to “shelter” the crown prince for a few days in the house of Aebi’s grandparents. Previously, the Sultan took care to clarify whether the only daughter of the Saleh family, 16-year-old Sarah, was spending her holidays in Switzerland. After these “several days”, the shy crown prince himself called his father and asked permission to stay for a while.

Don't you believe in fate yet? Then we go to you! Returning to Brunei, Crown Prince Al-Muhtadi Billa visited a newlywed friend, and the newlywed told the prince about her wonderful school friend (smart, beautiful, athlete and kind soul). The prince went to the college indicated to him, supposedly to find out if there was any need to help the respected educational institution.

Guess who the school friend was that the crown prince’s friends wanted to introduce him to? That's right, it was the same Sarah Saleh who showed the prince Swiss sights. It is not surprising that al-Muhtadi Billa asked his parents to woo Sarah on his behalf. The engagement took place a month after the young couple met, and the wedding took place in record time - on the hundredth day of their acquaintance.

The 17-year-old princess fearlessly took on her new duties. Wedding, 2004

Brunei gossips condemned the Sultan and Queen Saleha for having a “too modest wedding.” Especially in comparison with the wedding of the Sultan’s second daughter, which took place in the same month. And yet, Sarah walked down the aisle with a bouquet of flowers made from gold threads and diamonds.

The young crown princess obtained permission to continue her studies from her father-in-law and mother-in-law. For the first time in the history of the Sultanate, the Crown Princess asked to be assigned official duties. Before her, no one required the consort consorts of princes... to work, to do charity work. Live and be happy, go shopping, and show up at banquets. But this was not enough for the Crown Princess; she wanted to benefit society.

The Crown Princess speaks English, French, German and Italian. He is interested in sports, participates in the “Plant a Tree” volunteer movement and is a blood donor. And when the crown couple had children, it turned out that Sarah also sews beautifully. Sarah's popularity as a role model for young girls and women has skyrocketed.

Crown Princess Sarah became the Southeast Asian student champion as part of her student netball team.

College students take part in a military parade on the anniversary of the coronation of the Sultan

The Crown Princess graduated with honors from Darussalam University with a diploma in administration and social welfare.

“Her Highness has a wonderful character. She is like a steel blade in a velvet sheath,” Crown Prince al-Muhtadi Billa said in an interview on the 10th anniversary of marriage

At the opening of the Olympics in Brunei Darussalam

The crown prince and princess had children - a son in 2007, Prince Abdul-Muntaqim, and in 2011 a daughter, Princess Munira. Crown Princess Sarah managed to establish an excellent relationship with her mother-in-law, Queen Saleha, and numerous princess sisters-in-law.

With eldest son Prince Abdul-Muntaqim

Crown Princess Sarah with her mother and eldest children - Prince Abdul-Muntaqim and Princess Munira

The married life of the crown prince and princess turned out to be harmonious. And in June 2015 they became the parents of their third child. Crown Princess Sarah has given birth to another son, Prince Mohammad Ayman.

Crown Prince and Princess with older children

The text and photos are taken from the far_realms blog, and used with the permission of the author, without a direct link.

The royal wedding of the future Sultan of Brunei, Prince Abdul Malik, with his chosen one, 22-year-old programmer Dayangku Raabi’atul ‘Adawiyyah Pengiran Haji Bolkiah, eclipsed in luxury even the wedding of the Crown Prince of the British throne, which in comparison with this one could be called very modest. The Prince of Brunei and his bride wore wedding robes embroidered with real gold, and the bride's bouquet was made of precious stones.

12 PHOTOS

The material was prepared with the support of the online jewelry magazine http://www.jewellerymag.ru.

1. Prince Abdul Malik is the youngest of the four sons of reigning Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah and the second in line to the throne after his father. The wedding ceremony took place 11 days after the engagement. (Photo: STRINGER / REUTERS / REUTERS).
2. The bride's shoes from Christian Louboutin are decorated with diamonds and gold. (Photo: OLIVIA HARRIS / REUTERS / REUTERS). 3. The bride's wedding necklace and tiara are decorated with diamonds and huge emeralds, the size of grapes. According to local traditions, the bride must wear something borrowed from her. In this case, it was the mother-in-law's jewelry - a diamond tiara, necklace and brooch. (Photo: STRINGER / REUTERS / REUTERS).
4. The solemn wedding ceremony took place at the Sultan's Palace in the capital of Brunei, Bandar Seri Begawan. Istana Nurul Imam Palace - the residence of the Sultan - has 1,788 rooms. (Photo: OLIVIA HARRIS/REUTERS/REUTERS).
5. The Sultan of Brunei, the groom's father and a fuel magnate, is one of the richest men in the world. His fortune is estimated at 20-80 billion dollars. Hassanal Bolkiah has ruled his country since 1967. (Photo: OLIVIA HARRIS/REUTERS/REUTERS).
6. The Sultan of Brunei, Hassanal Bolkiah, has five sons and seven daughters from three marriages. Prince Abdul Malik is second in line to the Brunei throne. The first son, Crown Prince of Brunei Al-Muhtadi Billa, married more than 10 years ago. (Photo: OLIVIA HARRIS / REUTERS / REUTERS).
7. During the wedding ceremony. (Photo: STRINGER / REUTERS / REUTERS).

Brunei, a long-standing British colony of 400,000 that lies on the northwestern coast of the island of Borneo, is an absolute monarchy (sultanate). In Brunei, ruled by the 68-year-old Sultan, he is both head of state and head of government, minister of national defense and minister of finance.

8. Prince Abdul Malik with his father, the Sultan of Brunei. Members of the royal family have often been criticized for living too extravagantly. The Telegraph recalled that in 1996, Michael Jackson was supposed to receive 10 million pounds for a concert in honor of the Sultan's 50th birthday. However, there is little dissatisfaction with the government system in the country, which is a consequence of the high standard of living of its citizens, as well as free education and healthcare. (Photo: OLIVIA HARRIS/REUTERS/REUTERS).
9. Brunei is a country whose official religion is Islam. Last year, after the Sultan adopted Sharia law, which allows punishments such as stoning and flogging, a wave of indignation and discontent arose in the country. (Photo: OLIVIA HARRIS/REUTERS/REUTERS).

Prince Abdul-Mateen Bolkiah is the second of four children of Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah and his former second wife, Princess Consort Mariam.
The Sultan was married to ex-stewardess Mariam from 1982-2003, and divorced her to marry famous TV presenter Azrinaz Mazhar.

Mariam, stripped of all her titles, was quickly expelled from Brunei with a ban on ever returning. Since then, she has settled in London, and feels quite confident, thanks to the unspoken financial support of Queen Salehi. They say that Mariam always “knew her place” and managed to establish good relations with the Sultan’s main wife. This was useful to her, since Mariam’s children were taken away, and the queen was in charge of raising them.

The marriage of the monarch with the next princess consort Azrinaz lasted only 5 years. In 2010, the monarch suddenly discovered that his young wife (33 years younger than her husband) was involved in preparing a military coup with her general lover. The divorce, the arrest of her lover and the divorce from Azrinaz took place within 24 hours. It is difficult to understand what angered the monarch more - betrayal of her husband or treason of a former TV star. Azrinaz’s children were also taken away and given to the care of Queen Salehi. But Azrinaz, according to some information, was expelled outside the Sultanate and now leads a modest private life, but is quite successfully engaged in business.

Prince Mateen, unlike his older, unlucky brother Prince Azim, has a serious character, tenacity and will. He graduated with honors from the Sandhurst Military Academy, received the rank of lieutenant in the Brunei border troops and served honorably for three years, catching drug dealers and arms dealers on the mountain trails.
By order of the Sultan, the prince left military service, which he apparently liked, and entered the University of London. Now he is studying with a degree in international diplomacy. Speaks English, French, Arabic and Italian.

Prince Mateen is a good athlete. As a child, he dreamed of becoming “just like Beckham,” and still plays football. He is involved in charity work. Recently I played in a charity polo match, and the money was donated to a children’s cancer clinic.

At a charity polo match in February 2016. The Sultan Father also participated:

She dreams of creating a family “based on respect and trust with a balanced and kind girl.”
Are there anyone interested?

Behind-the-scene video from the prince's photo shoot for CQ magazine:

Interview with the prince translated into English:

Exclusive interview with His Royal Highness Prince "Abdul Mateen"

8. Being a Lieutenant in the Brunei armed services, and having graduated from the prestigious Military Academy Sandhurst, how has your strong military background helped you develop as a man?

“Well I entered Sandhusrt when I was eighteen; actually I was one of the youngest candidates. Sandhurst is basically a 44-week grueling course of leadership, mental strength and physical strength basically testing your ability to function under extreme pressure (actually I met a very good Thai friend there who was in my platoon).
Let me just tell you the essence of my military training through this one experience I had. The most grueling thing I did was this digging exercise…we had to dig trenches for three days straight non-stop with no sleep, and every time I started to fall asleep, the instructors would kick me and wake me up - because that's what they are trying to do, physically exhaust you to your limit.
At the end of it, having been physically exhausted beyond my limit, they would make us think, and solve problems - and that was one of the toughest things I’ve ever had to do.
Or, another example is having to complete a 74 kilometers race, non-stop walking, up 7 mountains in 24 hours. And that’s essentially what we did for 44 weeks. But looking back on it, it’s been the greatest thing I’ve ever done because it’s really made me become a physically and mentally strong person.
And these are the qualities and attributes that any good leader must have; the ability to work under extreme pressure. Graduating from Sandhurst is probably one of the achievements to date that I am most proud of.”

9. Who has had a profound influence on you, your idol, or inspiration?

“Honestly growing up I was a big football fan and David Beckham was my biggest idol, even till today I think he’s a pretty incredible guy.
I used to play a lot of football and get his haircuts and his style. And that’s why I’m still supporting Manchester United.”

Asian girls like Prince Mateen. Fan video about the prince:

The ceremony began on April 5 and will last 11 days. Gold, precious stones, simply unimaginable luxury...

Several hundred hundred relatives, friends and diplomats are present at this wedding. There's plenty of room for everyone in the 1,788-room royal family palace in Brunei's capital. Prince Abdul Malik, 31, exchanged vows with Dayangku Raabiatul Adawiya Pengiran Haji Bolkiya, 22.

The newlyweds, at their first appearance in public, literally sparkled with richly decorated outfits in the Malay style, while the young wife of the Sultan’s son wore a set of gold jewelry with diamonds and emeralds the size of a quail’s egg. And in the hands of the bride, instead of a bouquet of flowers, there was a bouquet of precious stones. The girl's feet were wearing shoes from the Christian Louboutin collection worth $4,000, and a heavy gold bracelet glittered on her ankle.

The royal wedding of the future Sultan of Brunei, Prince Abdul Malik, with his chosen one, 22-year-old programmer Dayangku Raabi’atul ‘Adawiyyah Pengiran Haji Bolkiah, eclipsed in luxury even the wedding of the Crown Prince of the British throne, which in comparison with this one could be called very modest. The Prince of Brunei and his bride wore wedding robes embroidered with real gold, and the bride's bouquet was made of precious stones.

Prince Abdul Malik is the youngest of four sons of reigning Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah and second in line to the throne after his father. The wedding ceremony took place 11 days after the engagement.



The solemn wedding ceremony took place at the Sultan's palace in the capital of Brunei, Bandar Seri Begawan. Istana Nurul Imam Palace - the residence of the Sultan - has 1788 rooms.


The bride's wedding necklace and tiara are decorated with diamonds and huge emeralds the size of grapes. According to local traditions, the bride must wear something borrowed from her. In this case, it was the mother-in-law's jewelry - a diamond tiara, necklace and brooch.


The bride's shoes from Christian Louboutin are decorated with diamonds and gold.


During the wedding ceremony.
Brunei, a long-standing British colony of 400,000 that lies on the northwestern coast of the island of Borneo, is an absolute monarchy (sultanate). In Brunei, ruled by the 68-year-old Sultan, he is both head of state and head of government, minister of national defense and minister of finance.




Prince Abdul Malik with his father, the Sultan of Brunei. Members of the royal family have often been criticized for living too extravagantly. The Telegraph recalled that in 1996, Michael Jackson was supposed to receive 10 million pounds for a concert in honor of the Sultan's 50th birthday. However, there is little dissatisfaction with the government system in the country, which is a consequence of the high standard of living of its citizens, as well as free education and healthcare.














The Sultan of Brunei, Hassanal Bolkiah, has five sons and seven daughters from three marriages. Prince Abdul Malik is second in line to the Brunei throne. The first son, Crown Prince of Brunei Al-Muhtadi Billa, married more than 10 years ago.


The Sultan of Brunei, the groom's father and a fuel magnate, is one of the richest men in the world. His fortune is estimated at 20-80 billion dollars. Hassanal Bolkiah has ruled his country since 1967.




About five thousand guests were invited to the wedding of Prince Abdul Malik.

HRH Prince Abdul Mateen, fourth in line to the throne of Brunei, has been named this year's world's most eligible bachelor.

Prince Mateen, 26, is one of five sons and seven daughters of Brunei's ruler Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah, whose fortune is estimated at $20 billion. Like his father, he leads a luxurious lifestyle: he plays polo, flies on a private jet, drives expensive cars and spends a lot of time traveling. At first glance, the prince may seem like just another big guy wasting his life at the expense of his parents, but in 2014, journalists from a Thai glossy magazine called him “an ordinary guy who doesn’t really like to show off his parents’ money.”

Abdul Mateen is a part-time lieutenant in the Brunei Army. He studied in England at the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst, from which he graduated in 2011. The training program lasted 44 weeks and, according to the prince, it was the best thing he had ever done. “Here you learn leadership, endurance, mental toughness, and working in extreme conditions and under great pressure,” said Mateen.

According to the prince, what he remembers most is how he and a group of soldiers had to dig a trench for three days without rest or sleep. “When someone fell asleep, they immediately woke him up and forced him to work. This was done to ensure that we reached the limit of fatigue. After that, we were given problems that needed to be solved. This is the most difficult thing I have ever had to do,” said the prince.

Later, Prince Mateen studied at SOAS (Modern School of Oriental and African Studies) University of London. He received a Master of Arts degree.

Like most of his peers, the prince is a big sports fan. He is involved in athletics and Thai boxing, diving and rowing, and skiing. Earlier, as a child, he played football and even played for the national team. “I lived for football for a while and David Beckham was my idol. Even now I consider him a talented athlete,” the prince noted. He is now a big fan of Conor McGregor.

Abdul Mateen's other hobbies include playing the drums and guitar, and flying. He can fly helicopters and combat aircraft, so he often hones his skills in the air. In addition, the prince loves animals very much and often spends time with them. He is especially fascinated by cubs of tigers; he even calls himself the “father of tigers.”

When he's not attending to his royal or military duties, the prince is a completely ordinary guy. He spends most of his free time with his three closest friends, who are his support and inspiration. In addition, he often spends time with his family. “I have a huge family, but I’m closest to my older brother and two sisters. We grew up together and we live together,” the prince emphasized.