Hassanal Bolkiah
| Hassanal Bolkiah | |
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| Sultan Yang Dipertuan Negara Hassanal Bolkiah | |
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| Reign | 4 October 1967 (43 years, 133 days) |
| Coronation | 1 August 1968 |
| Predecessor | Omar Ali Saifuddien III |
| Issue | |
| Al-Muhtadee Billah Azim 'Abdul Malik Abdul Mateen 'Abdul Wakeel Rashidah Muta-Wakkilah Majeedah Hafizah 'Azemah Fadzilah Ameerah |
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| Born | 15 July 1946 Istana Darussalam, Bandar Seri Begawan, Brunei, British Empire |
| Religion | Muslim - Sunni |
Hassan al Bolkiah Mu'izzuddin Waddaulah GCB GCMG (born 15 July 1946) is the Sultan and Yang Di-Pertuan of Brunei Darussalam, the 29th Sultan of Brunei, the eldest son of Omar Ali Saifuddien III, the previous Sultan of Brunei, and Pengiran Anak Damit.
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Marriage and children
The Sultan currently has one wife, with Raja Isteri Pengiran Anak Hajah Saleha being designated his first wife. His former second wife, Pengiran Isteri Hajah Mariam, was a former stewardess for the national carrier, Royal Brunei Airlines (RBA) whom he divorced in 2003, stripping her of all her royal titles. In August 2005 her place was taken by a former Malaysian TV3 presenter, Azrinaz Mazhar Hakim, who is 33 years younger than the Sultan. They divorced in 2010[1].
Prince Al-Muhtadee Billah is the crown prince and the Sultan's heir, the eldest son of the Sultan and Raja Isteri Pengiran Anak Saleha, his first wife. As of 2008, Hassanal Bolkiah has five sons and seven daughters with his three wives[2].
- By HM Raja Isteri Pengiran Anak Saleha:
- HRH Princess Rashidah (born 26 July 1969)
- HRH Princess Muta-Wakkilah (born 12 October 1971)
- HRH Crown Prince Al-Muhtadee Billah (born 17 February 1974)
- HRH Princess Majeedah Nuurul Bolkiah (born 16 March 1976)
- HRH Princess Hafizah (born 12 March 1980)
- HRH Prince 'Abdul Malik (born 30 June 1983)
- By HRH Pengiran Isteri Mariam:divorced in 2003
- HRH Prince 'Abdul 'Azim (born 29 July 1982)
- HRH Princess 'Azemah (born 26 September 1984)
- HRH Princess Fadzillah (born 23 August 1985)
- HRH Prince 'Abdul Mateen (born 10 August 1991)
- By HRH Pengiran Isteri Azrinaz Mazhar Hakim: divorced in 2010
- HRH Prince 'Abdul Wakeel (born 1 June 2006)
- HRH Princess Ameerah (born 28 January 2008)2006
Political role as Sultan
- For further information on the politics of Brunei see the article, Politics of Brunei.
| Hassanal Bolkiah | |
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Prime Minister of Brunei
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| Assumed office January 1, 1984 |
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Minister of Defence
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| Incumbent | |
| Assumed office January 1, 1984 |
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Minister of Finance
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| Incumbent | |
| Assumed office January 1, 1984 |
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Member of the Legislative Council
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| Incumbent | |
| Assumed office September 25, 2004 |
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| Born | 15 July 1946 Istana Darussalam, Bandar Seri Begawan, Brunei |
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| Birth name | Hassanal Bolkiah Mu'izzaddin Waddaulah |
Under Brunei's 1959 constitution, the Sultan is the head of state with full executive authority, including emergency powers since 1962. On 9 March 2006, the Sultan was reported to have changed Brunei's constitution to make himself infallible under Bruneian law.[3] Bolkiah is also the Prime Minister of Brunei, as well as holding the portfolios of Defence and Finance.
He addressed the United Nations General Assembly on Brunei Darussalam's admission to the United Nations in September, 1984. In 1991, he introduced a conservative ideology to Brunei called Melayu Islam Beraja (MIB) (or Malay Islamic Monarchy), which presents the monarchy as the defender of the faith.[4] He has recently favoured partial democratisation. In 2004, the Legislative Council, which had been dissolved since 1962, was reopened.[5]
His designated successor is his eldest son, Al-Muhtadee Billah.
Early years and education
He was born on 15 July 1946 in Brunei Town (now called Bandar Seri Begawan). He became crown prince in 1961 and sultan on 5 October 1967, after his father abdicated voluntarily. His coronation was held on 1 August 1968. Like his father, he has been knighted by Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom, of which Brunei was a protectorate until 1984.
The Sultan received high school education in Malaysia's premier school Victoria Institution in Kuala Lumpur, where he joined the Cadet Corps (Band). After receiving a private education in Brunei, the Sultan attended the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst in October 1967 but returned home to be the Crown Prince few months before graduation, and has since received an honorary doctorate from a Russian university.
He has also been awarded an Honorary Doctor of Law degree from the University of Oxford, England, UK and an Honorary Doctor of Letters degree from the University of Aberdeen, Scotland. He also received an Honorary Doctorate from the Chulalongkorn University of Thailand. He is also a devout follower of the Naqshibandi-Haqqani tariqa, and is a disciple of Maulana Shaykh Nazim Adil al Qubrusi Sultan-ul-Awliya.
In 2003, received Honorary Doctorate Degree in Humanities and Culture by the Gadjah Mada University, UGM, Yogyakarta, Republic of Indonesia.[6] On the 27 January 2005, the Sultan was awarded and made an Honorary Doctor of Laws by the National University of Singapore.[7]
Motor cars
The Sultan is famous for his vast automobile collection. In 1998, the British car magazine Autocar published undercover photographs of the Sultan's cars, which included unique modifications of Ferraris and Bentleys. It has been said that he has at least 7,000 cars and has bought over U.S.$5 billion worth of high-performance cars.
The number purchased by his business interests and the number actually used by himself and his family differ greatly. According to Guinness World Records the Sultan's personal private collection has more than 600 Rolls-Royces, more than 450 Ferraris, and 134 Koenigseggs — the largest collection of that marque in the world. During the 1990s, his family accounted for almost half of all Rolls-Royce purchases, bulk buying slightly modified vehicles for diplomats and adding unique cars to their own collection. He also owns the very last Rolls-Royce Phantom VI, a 1992 state landaulette.
Among his collection are the Porsche Carrera GT, Lamborghini Diablo Jota, Porsche 959, Bugatti EB110, Bugatti Veyron (regular and Pur Sang edition), Lamborghini Murcielago LP640, Maybach 62, Jaguar XJR-15 and six Dauer 962s. He is also the owner of six models of the Ferrari FX, the original red show model of the Bentley Continental R, the only Porsche Carma made so far, the only Koenigsegg Agera CC GT, two fully operational versions of the Ferrari Mythos concept car, both of the Ferrari 456 GT Sedans, the only right hand drive Mercedes-Benz CLK-GTR in the world, five McLaren F1s including both black LM models and three Cizeta-Moroder V16T cars, 10 out of 77 made Aston Martin One-77s, the only convertible Aston Martin DB4 GT Zagato, and the only Cicero BDB Maestro ever built. He also possesses a Formula One car as driven by every Formula 1 World Drivers Champion since the 1980 Formula One season, particularly the ones driven in the last race for each season. A prime example of this is Jacques Villeneuve's Williams FW19 which still bears the collision damage courtesy of Michael Schumacher in the 1997 European Grand Prix.
He has a special interest in buying one-of-a-kind didjo cars, including the Bentley Java and Bentley Dominator 4x4, whilst leaving slightly more common race cars such as the Aston Martin AM3 or the modified Mercedes-Benz 300SL to his brother Jefri. The collection of vehicles was for the most part stored and serviced in five aircraft hangars, where specialist teams from the various manufacturers would maintain the collection.
The Daily Mirror (UK) reported on 26 October 2007 (Updated on 30 June 2010) that the Sultan owned 130 Rolls Royces, 531 Mercedes-Benzes, 367 Ferraris, 362 Bentleys, 185 BMWs, 177 Jaguars, 160 Porsches, 20 Lamborghinis.[8]
Other assets
For personal use, the sultan has two Boeing 747-400s furnished with gold plated furniture with an estimated value of $233 million including $3 million on furniture each. He also owns six smaller planes and two helicopters.
He also operates a $3 billion theme park called Jerudong Park, which in the past used to be free of charge. As of now, the theme park is closed for repairs.
Despite his personal extravagance, he has attempted to share the country's oil wealth. In a country mockingly dubbed the "Shellfare State", in reference to the significant influence of the Shell Oil Company[9][10], Bruneians have free education and medical services. There are neither personal nor corporate taxes in Brunei.
His official residence is the Istana Nurul Iman, with 1,888 rooms, 290 bathrooms, and a floor area of 2,152,782 square feet (200,000 m²), undisputedly the world's second largest palace after Beijing's Forbidden City (720,000 m²).
Controversies
Between 2001 and 2005 a UK businessman, Mark Burby, was allegedly defrauded by two members of the Brunei Royal Family, Pengiran Ayub (the Sultan's Cousin) and Pengiran Damit (The Sultan's sister-in-law). The case went to trial and the Brunei Royals were ordered to pay over £50M of lost earning to Mark Burby. At the point of enforcing the judgement the business man went to work for a more senior Brunei Royal on the understanding that the Sultan ensured his debt was paid. As of July 2009[update], the debt remains unpaid. The details of the scandal can be found at www.royallyshafted.co.uk [11] and at Times Online. [12]
In 1997, former Miss USA Shannon Marketic filed a lawsuit against the ruling family of Brunei for $90 million.[13] In the case, Marketic alleged that she and 6 other young women were paid $127,200 each for a modeling job in Brunei (whereas on the ABC news program 20/20, Marketic said she was supposed to provide "intellectual conversations" with visiting guests of the royal family). These other women include former Miss Teen USA and future Miss USA Brandi Sherwood, who was invited along by Shannon, and Miss United Kingdom runner up Paula Bradbury.
Marketic maintained that she and Stephanie Granton were held as "sex slaves" and were "intimidated and coerced into performing physically and morally repulsive acts of prostitution."[14] They were apparently ordered to dance for 5–6 hours every night at parties during which their bodies and private parts were groped and grabbed by men. During the dances Marketic was also allegedly abused verbally with comments made about her bare breasts.[15] The women were often told to go with a man to have "tea" with him and then had sex with him.[16] In her interview on 20/20, Marketic said that after 32 days of being held against her will, she managed to smuggle a letter out to the US Embassy; shortly afterwards, she was allegedly paid $10,000 and forced to fly back to the United States alone.[13] The case was thrown out due to the immunity of the ruling family as heads of state.[16] There has been no further investigation into this case although there are allegations both supporting and refuting her claims. Paula Bradbury separately sued the Sultan and won £500,000 in settlement.[17]
Honorary titles
The Sultan holds an honorary commission in the Royal Air Force of the United Kingdom as an Air Chief Marshal.[18]
He is also an Honorary Admiral of the Royal Navy of the United Kingdom,[19] a title given to him by Queen Elizabeth II when he took the salute at the passing out parade of the 2001 summer term at Britannia Royal Naval College, Dartmouth, the Royal Navy's officer-training school in the United Kingdom. He has an English residence at Binfield Manor in Berkshire.
In April, 2008, he was made an honorary member of the Indonesian Satgas Atbara Special Operations Unit.
He also holds the rank of Honorary Colonel of Pakistan's SSG, awarded to him during his visit to the Pakistan Army's SSG headquarters at Cherat.[20]
See also
- List of Sultans of Brunei
- List of Brunei-related topics
- List of the wealthiest royals
References
- ↑ Brunei's sultan divorces Malaysian wife of 5 years
- ↑ Royal Family of Brunei Birthday and Anniversary wishes - The Royal Forums
- ↑ Sultan Of Brunei Declares Himself Infallible
- ↑ "Country profile: Brunei". BBC News. 21 January 2010. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/asia-pacific/country_profiles/1298607.stm. Retrieved 4 May 2010.
- ↑ "Sultan of Brunei reopens parliament". BBC News. 25 September 2004. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/asia-pacific/3688860.stm. Retrieved 4 May 2010.
- ↑ http://www.rtb.gov.bn/NewsUpdate/2003/April03/100403/main1.htm
- ↑ http://newshub.nus.edu.sg/pressrel/0501/050127.htm
- ↑ The man who pays his cleaner £7m, he also bought his son diomand mclaren!
- ↑ http://www.inspirationthroughexploration.com/TravelBrunei.html
- ↑ http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Brunei/Bandar-Seri-Begawan/blog-132239.html
- ↑ Sultan of Brunei - Brunei Royal Scandal
- ↑ The Times (London). http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/sitesearch.do?x=38&y=5&query=Mark+Burby&turnOffGoogleAds=false&submitStatus=searchFormSubmitted&mode=simple§ionId=674. Retrieved 4 May 2010.
- ↑ 13.0 13.1 News Home
- ↑ The Smoking Gun: Archive
- ↑ The Smoking Gun: Archive
- ↑ 16.0 16.1 News Home
- ↑ BRIT BEAUTY SEX SLAVE WINS pounds 1/2m FROM SULTAN'S BROTHER.(News) - The People (London, England) - HighBeam Research
- ↑ The Air Force List, 2006. HMSO ISBN 0-11-773038-6
- ↑ Navy List
- ↑ Sultan of Brunei made honorary colonel -DAWN - National; 20 May, 2004
External links
The prince, the lawyer and his wife lose out in court (26 Jan 2007) http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/us_and_americas/article1296187.ece - article regarding Thomas Derbyshire and Faith Zaman losing appeal against freezing of assets in multi-million dollar fraud case
- Government of Brunei
- Forbes.com: Forbes World's Richest People 1997
- Brunei's Battle Royal — Business Week article.
- Unofficial website about the sultan — linked 17 February 2006
- Article from 11 February 2006, about his legal fight with his brother — linked 17 February 2006
- Sultan of Brunei- New Internationalist magazine article, May 2000
- Brunei, a Shellfare State- A report of a visit to Brunei
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Hassanal Bolkiah
House of Bolkiah
Born: 15 July 1946 |
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| Regnal titles | ||
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| Preceded by Omar Ali Saifuddien III |
Sultan of Brunei 1967 – present |
Incumbent Heir: Al-Muhtadee Billah |
| Bruneian royalty | ||
| Preceded by Ahmad Tajuddin |
Crown Prince of Brunei Pengiran Muda Mahkota 1965 – 1968 |
Succeeded by Al-Muhtadee Billah |
| Political offices | ||
| New title Post created
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Prime Minister of Brunei 1984 – present |
Incumbent |
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| Preceded by Bill Gates |
World's richest person 1997 |
Succeeded by Bill Gates |
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