Royalty of Brunei 1: January 2004-February 2005

[Zina]

Zina : What sort of "rumors" abt the crown prince before?

I would rather not discuss it Minnie, since it's now ancient history and especially since the Crown Prince is happily married now. It would be disrespectful. Not to mention embarassing for the people involved, should they be reading.

 

[Humera]

so when the engagement is officially announced, will there be any ceremony to celebrate the occasion? or will it be like the Crown Prince's engagment and only official photos will be released?

 

[Zina]

Brunei engagement ceremonies

so when the engagement is officially announced, will there be any ceremony to celebrate the occasion? or will it be like the Crown Prince's engagment and only official photos will be released?

In Brunei tradition, the couple are not engaged until just before the wedding. When the Crown Prince and Sarah's betrothal was announced, the couple were still not engaged! Because the engagement ceremony hadn't been carried out.

It's not like Western tradition - the couple will get engaged and then announce their wedding. The Prince and Sarah's actual engagement was about 2-3 weeks before the wedding. It is when the boy's representative asks the girls' rep. for her hand in marriage, and gifts are given.

So it will be the same with P. Majeedah, with just official photos released. And the engagement ceremony will take place shortly before the marriage ceremony.

 

[alfie]

Yes! Zina is exactly right. Thats why I said royal engagement announcement. It's announcing when they are to get engaged and all the other wedding details. Yeah! your right Zina it's her 1st cousin, well I can't really say why she choose to wed her cousin. But I am very certain that this royal couple is preparing wedding arrangements soon. We just have to wait patiently for the announcement

 

[Minnie]

Is it a practice of Brunei royal families to marry cousins - same bloodlines does weaken the stock you know.

Dear, I hope Princess Majeedah had a voice in the choice of a spouse. She is an attractive woman and I am sure there is no lack of suitors. Does the Brunei royals consider royalty of other nations - Jordan , Saudi, Malaysia etc.

 

[Minnie]

So it's nearly confirmed then, the rumours of Princess Majeedah's forthcoming marriage. People have been talking for a while already, but I didn't like to pass comment, until it's absolutely confirmed from the Palace. I'm sure you remember the rumours about our Crown Prince from a couple years ago and his supposed "fiancee", right Alfie ?

Am I correct, in assuming that Princess Majeedah is to marry her 1st cousin then? I won't say who, in case it's not true...but if it is HIM...then I hope their future children are healthy and normal. Such close inbreeding, does not normally help the future bloodline. It is a shame she could not find someone outside the family. A beautiful girl like her, should not have to marry her cousin. I've also heard stories that he already had a long time girlfriend . Let's hope that it's all just gossip and it is a happy marriage for both of them.

I agree with you Zina on marrying close cousins and the ensuing problems especially in relation to carrying on the bloodlines and health of future offspring. I reckon that is one reason that Crown Prince Billah did not choose to marry someone in direct relation although Sarah's family, the paternal side is remotely related to the Sultante

Heard that CP Billah is acquainted to HRH Princess Sarah since she was 11 when they were introduced through mutual friend at his Coronation, is that true?

 

[Zina]

I agree with you Zina on marrying close cousins and the ensuing problems especially in relation to carrying on the bloodlines and health of future offspring. I reckon that is one reason that Crown Prince Billah did not choose to marry someone in direct relation although Sarah's family, the paternal side is remotely related to the Sultante

Heard that CP Billah is acquainted to HRH Princess Sarah since she was 11 when they were introduced through mutual friend at his Coronation, is that true?

Yes it is good that Prince Billah married someone not related to him. There are lots of interesting stories, but I am pretty certain that CP Billah only met Sarah a few months before the official engagement announcement. The announcement was on Saturday, May 15th, 2004. I dont know exactly how long they knew each other before that, but it wasn't more than a few months.

 

[Zina]

Family Photos from CP Billah and P. Sarah's Wedding

Apparently the Sultan's ex 2nd wife, Hjh Mariam did attend the Royal Wedding of the Year, but she wasn't seen in any published photos or on TV . She's not featured in any of the following either.

 

[Humera]

Apparently the Sultan's ex 2nd wife, Hjh Mariam did attend the Royal Wedding of the Year, but she wasn't seen in any published photos or on TV . She's not featured in any of the following either.

thanx for those pics Zina.
I didnt think Princess Mariam attended the wedding. If she did, than it was a kind gesture on part of the Sultan, especially considering even his brother Jefri wasnt there.
The first and last picture, where princess Sarah is wearing red, I've seen pics of that event before but didnt see any pics of the Queen at the ceremony. Did she attend? or were the pictures taken before or after the ceremony?

 

[Zina]

thanx for those pics Zina.
I didnt think Princess Mariam attended the wedding. If she did, than it was a kind gesture on part of the Sultan, especially considering even his brother Jefri wasnt there.
The first and last picture, where princess Sarah is wearing red, I've seen pics of that event before but didnt see any pics of the Queen at the ceremony. Did she attend? or were the pictures taken before or after the ceremony?

I assume the pictures were taken after the ceremony, because P. Sarah had a veil over her head when she was brought into that ceremony (the Berinai ceremony). In the picture her face is uncovered, so it must have been taken after everything was over. The Queen and other royals did attend, yes.

 

[Zina]

Royal arranged marriages

Is it a practice of Brunei royal families to marry cousins - same bloodlines does weaken the stock you know.

Dear, I hope Princess Majeedah had a voice in the choice of a spouse. She is an attractive woman and I am sure there is no lack of suitors. Does the Brunei royals consider royalty of other nations - Jordan , Saudi, Malaysia etc.

Yes Minnie, it is common practice that the Brunei Royals marry their cousins or close relative. The Sultan himself is married to his cousin, the Raja Isteri (or Queen). His brother Prince Mohammad married his cousin - who happens to be the Queen's sister. The Sultan's eldest daughter, Princess Rashidah married a relative, although he's not a 1st cousin. One of the Sultan's sisters, Princess Nor Ain was married to 1 of the Queen's brothers, who recently passed away. So they are all related somehow.

Only the Crown Prince Billah has broken with tradition, and married an outsider. Maybe this will start a trend of the next generation of Royals marrying outside the family. It's better for them if they do. And no, they would not consider Royals from other countries. Hasn't happened yet, anyway.

 

[Humera]

What about Malaysian royalty? Have Bruneian royals ever married members of the Malaysian royal family? The two families seem to be pretty close.

 

[alfie]

What about Malaysian royalty? Have Bruneian royals ever married members of the Malaysian royal family? The two families seem to be pretty close.

They have been some consideration over the pass few years of Bruneian royals and Malaysian royals entering marriage but so far never has happened yet. They is a Bruneian lady married into one of the Malaysian royal family though. She is not from the Brunei royal family.

Puan Hjh Mariam (ex wife of Sultan) This is her name now Humera she has not been given princess title. During the crown prince wedding celebration she organised and paid for Anita Sarawak(Malaysian Singer) to come and perform for them at Istana Nurul Iman.

 

[alfie]

I assume the pictures were taken after the ceremony, because P. Sarah had a veil over her head when she was brought into that ceremony (the Berinai ceremony). In the picture her face is uncovered, so it must have been taken after everything was over. The Queen and other royals did attend, yes.

Sorry Zina but those pictures were not during the Berinai ceremony. There were during muleh 3 hari (3 days after bersanding ceremony) which the Sultan and the Queen was not present at the official ceremony. But other royal families did attend.

 

[Zina]

Sorry Zina but those pictures were not during the Berinai ceremony. There were during muleh 3 hari (3 days after bersanding ceremony) which the Sultan and the Queen was not present at the official ceremony. But other royal families did attend.

Thanks for the clarification Alfie. I remembered Sarah wore red also during Berinai, so that explains my mistake.

I must say though, that the light blue outfit is the best - it's more simple and less elaborate than her other outfits..much more tasteful.

 

[Humera]

They have been some consideration over the pass few years of Bruneian royals and Malaysian royals entering marriage but so far never has happened yet. They is a Bruneian lady married into one of the Malaysian royal family though. She is not from the Brunei royal family.

Puan Hjh Mariam (ex wife of Sultan) This is her name now Humera she has not been given princess title. During the crown prince wedding celebration she organised and paid for Anita Sarawak(Malaysian Singer) to come and perform for them at Istana Nurul Iman.

I thought the Sultan's ex-wife was allowed to keep the title. Thanx for the clarification. So is she still on good terms with the Sultan and the Queen?
by the way, do you have any idea why they divorced?

 

[alfie]

I thought the Sultan's ex-wife was allowed to keep the title. Thanx for the clarification. So is she still on good terms with the Sultan and the Queen?
by the way, do you have any idea why they divorced?

Well! good terms as for divorced couple with children goes. When they divorced she was strip off all her titles. I would rather not say Humera, why do couples divorce in the first place?! I will let you think about it

 

[alfie]

Any recent pics of P. Sarah?

Just the one with the Brunei FA Cup winners I posted earlier. Sorry it isn't very clear though. It was taken from a distance to get everybody in the photo

 

[Zina]

I thought the Sultan's ex-wife was allowed to keep the title. Thanx for the clarification. So is she still on good terms with the Sultan and the Queen?
by the way, do you have any idea why they divorced?

The story at the time was, that his ex-wife, Mariam, was caught in bed with another man - A young, handsome, Indonesian singer. I can't verify how true that story is. But other stories also speculated that she was having an affair/s with other men.

Insiders say: That Mariam was set up for political reasons. She was never popular with H.M's family - Prince Mohammad, particularly, disliked her. It is said that he framed her, so that the Sultan would divorce her.

Another story is that Mariam was tired of the royal lifestyle, and wanted to be free of the golden cage. Her 3 grown up kids are studying in London and she wanted to join them there. Perhaps both factors led to the divorce.

Upon divorce, she was stripped of her title and all her jewellry that had been given to her when she married H.M. Some people think that some of that jewellry may have been passed onto Sarah, as part of her wedding gifts. After all, the Royals are cash strapped since the economic downturn and Prince Jefri's Amedeo crisis. Civil servants were forced to give money for the Crown Prince's Wedding. Private businesses were asked to sponsor money towards it.

The Sultan still visits Mariam's palace regularly, as he did when they were married. Although, she doesnt live there, but in a smaller residence, nearby. Apparently, they do lunch, play badminton and are friends. Hjh Mariam also tends to be in the same places as the Royal Family, whenever they travel - she went to perform the Umrah, in Saudi in 2003, the same time as the Sultan and Raja Isteri. Whether she was invited to be with them, or just wanted to try and get close to them, is another question.

Popular opinion is that the Sultan didnt really want to divorce her, after the affair scandal broke, but that his brothers advised him to. Since the Sultan is still friendly with her, the political reasons theory could have some truth in it.

 

[Humera]

The story at the time was, that his ex-wife, Mariam, was caught in bed with another man - A young, handsome, Indonesian singer. I can't verify how true that story is. But other stories also speculated that she was having an affair/s with other men.

Insiders say: That Mariam was set up for political reasons. She was never popular with H.M's family - Prince Mohammad, particularly, disliked her. It is said that he framed her, so that the Sultan would divorce her.

Another story is that Mariam was tired of the royal lifestyle, and wanted to be free of the golden cage. Her 3 grown up kids are studying in London and she wanted to join them there. Perhaps both factors led to the divorce.

Upon divorce, she was stripped of her title and all her jewellry that had been given to her when she married H.M. Some people think that some of that jewellry may have been passed onto Sarah, as part of her wedding gifts. After all, the Royals are cash strapped since the economic downturn and Prince Jefri's Amedeo crisis. Civil servants were forced to give money for the Crown Prince's Wedding. Private businesses were asked to sponsor money towards it.

The Sultan still visits Mariam's palace regularly, as he did when they were married. Although, she doesnt live there, but in a smaller residence, nearby. Apparently, they do lunch, play badminton and are friends. Hjh Mariam also tends to be in the same places as the Royal Family, whenever they travel - she went to perform the Umrah, in Saudi in 2003, the same time as the Sultan and Raja Isteri. Whether she was invited to be with them, or just wanted to try and get close to them, is another question.

Popular opinion is that the Sultan didnt really want to divorce her, after the affair scandal broke, but that his brothers advised him to. Since the Sultan is still friendly with her, the political reasons theory could have some truth in it.

thanx for that Zina. I think I do agree that the real reason could've been political or something else. I wouldnt buy the affair story because if it was even remotely true, the Sultan wouldn't have remained friends with Hjh Mariam.

 

[Minnie]

thanx for that Zina. I think I do agree that the real reason could've been political or something else. I wouldnt buy the affair story because if it was even remotely true, the Sultan wouldn't have remained friends with Hjh Mariam.

How are the brunei royalties "paid" ..like do they receive some kind of salary from the government ? I read somewhere that the Sultan of Brunei is worth like 15 Billion dollars and was used to be the richest man before Bill Gates. The sultan must be paid like a lot.

The divorce proceedings and settlement was a little exorbitant from what was reported in the papers.

 

[MoonlightRhapsody]

How are the brunei royalties "paid" ..like do they receive some kind of salary from the government ? I read somewhere that the Sultan of Brunei is worth like 15 Billion dollars and was used to be the richest man before Bill Gates. The sultan must be paid like a lot.

I don't think his wealth comes from his personal salary. Being a sultan means that he controls parts of the resources in his country. I hear that he also invests his money in world stocks, so that could also contribute to his wealth.

 

[Zina]

How are the brunei royalties "paid" ..like do they receive some kind of salary from the government ? I read somewhere that the Sultan of Brunei is worth like 15 Billion dollars and was used to be the richest man before Bill Gates. The sultan must be paid like a lot.

The divorce proceedings and settlement was a little exorbitant from what was reported in the papers.
.

Each royal family member receives a monthly salary, even the children. That is the reason why the Royals adopt so many children, in addition to having their own - To get extra income. These adopted children are never seen in the media or newspapers - they are commoners of different nationalities and are not raised as equals with their royal siblings.

Now that P. Sarah is a Royal, she will be receiving a very large monthly sum, and so will her parents.

 

[Humera]

Caption:
LONDON - JANUARY 13: Actress Faye Dunaway and Prince Azim of Brunei arrives at the Funky Buddha Tsunami Earthquake Appeal on January 13, 2005 at Funky Buddha in London. The party aims to raise funds for the Asian earthquake and tsunami relief effort and also introduces a new cocktail which will be on sale all year with 50 percent of sales going to the appeal. (Photo by David Westing/Getty Images

Its funny how Getty keeps calling Azim the Crown Prince of Brunei. I had to edit the caption.

 

[micas]

Some1 now the name of the sulton?

 

[alfie]

Some1 now the name of the sulton?

I'm guessing you are asking the name of the Sultan of Brunei. His full name is His Majesty Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah Mu'izzaddin Waddaulah Ibni Al-Marhum Sultan Haji Omar Ali Saifuddien Sa'adul Khairi Waddien

 

[Minnie]

Each royal family member receives a monthly salary, even the children. That is the reason why the Royals adopt so many children, in addition to having their own - To get extra income. These adopted children are never seen in the media or newspapers - they are commoners of different nationalities and are not raised as equals with their royal siblings.

Now that P. Sarah is a Royal, she will be receiving a very large monthly sum, and so will her parents.

Hope that this largesseof royalties are beneficially utilised for the people of brunei and i heard that the sultan is a generous man who looks after his kingdom- good for him and long live the sultanate .

I really admire HRH Sarah. At such a young age, she 's already discharging such filial peity fulfilling the dreams beyond any parents imagination.

Has anyone heard HRH Princess Sarah speak before like address an audience or something? Wonder how she sounds like. Any more updates on the lovely princess ,pictures news , school work etc etc.Would love to learn more about hrh.

 

[Minnie]

Prince Azim looks like a lively person and rather interesting which is usually the case for those who has lived in vibrant and metropolitan London with the quirky British humour.

What's CP Billah like?

 

[Zina]

Hope that this largesseof royalties are beneficially utilised for the people of brunei and i heard that the sultan is a generous man who looks after his kingdom- good for him and long live the sultanate .

I really admire HRH Sarah. At such a young age, she 's already discharging such filial peity fulfilling the dreams beyond any parents imagination.

Has anyone heard HRH Princess Sarah speak before like address an audience or something? Wonder how she sounds like. Any more updates on the lovely princess ,pictures news , school work etc etc.Would love to learn more about hrh.

Yes, there is free medical care and free education in Brunei, as well as a Foundation set up by His Majesty to help those in need.

I'm sure P. Sarah's family are happy now, but many people do not know that her mother, was in fact, very unhappy about the marriage in the beginning. Due to her daughter's young age.

As of yet, P. Sarah has not made any official speeches, so most people are curious to hear how she sounds too. Apart from the post wedding banquets and functions, she is not done many official duties yet. And Brunei press are not likely to feature interviews, as the Royals are kept mostly out of the public scrutiny, apart from official duties and speeches they perform.

 

[Humera]

larger pics of Prince Azim