Royalty of Brunei: News & Photos 3

[Zina]

Originally Posted by Minnie

Zina, you are right . Guess it's difficult to turn down a royal proposal which doesn't come by so often. I mean at 17, Sarah's is really young to decide on marriage and what entails in a marriage, so I presumed she must have listened and obtained considerable amounts of advice from the adults as to what to do. Hope they are right.

So the virgin party was meant to find the prince a wife and i suppose the candidates must have attended with some mental preparation. How young were the candidates?

Wonder if anyone has rejected or "dare" to turn down requests from prince and suffer the consequences?

Not many details are known about that party, except that the girls invited were supposedly virgins, so they must have been young, around Sarah's age, perhaps no older than in their early 20's. I'm just speculating.

As far as I know, the CP never asked anybody else to marry him, so he could not have been turned down by anyone. Although, his own cousin (i don't know which one) did refuse to marry him, so this is the reason that he was forced to marry outside the family.

[Humera]

Some new pictures
Feb 25, 2005

[Humera]

Crown Prince and Princess, same day

[Humera]

and some more

[Zina]

Her headscarf clashes badly with her outfit...somebody get her a fashion adviser!

[Minnie]

HRH Sarah has truly grown. From a shy and coy looking young lady to a more poised and confident figure while engaging the women foreign diplomats from the pictures above. A role model indeed.

[Minnie]

Originally Posted by Zina

Her headscarf clashes badly with her outfit...somebody get her a fashion adviser!

Well ok apart from the slightly off key colour match that needs fixing , but I must say Sarah's never fail to look good in most outfit especially the sensual colour red . She's simply radiating ! :p

[Humera]

Originally Posted by Zina

Her headscarf clashes badly with her outfit...somebody get her a fashion adviser!

you know i've noticed that the women of the royal family dont wear headscarves that match their outfits exactly. Most of the time it works and looks better than dressing in the same print from head to toe. But ofcourse there are exceptions.
Speaking of clothing, do you know if the royal family has a special designer that makes outfits for them? The cloth/prints used for their outfits, are they exclusively made for them or can anyone in Brunei buy them?

[abir]

I notice that sometimes p. sarah covers her hair and sometimes she doesn't even in Brunei. Does someone have an explanation for that. Thanks.

[Humera]

Originally Posted by abir

I notice that sometimes p. sarah covers her hair and sometimes she doesn't even in Brunei. Does someone have an explanation for that. Thanks.

There are women in the royal family who dont cover at all. The Queen didnt use to cover a couple of years ago either. I think its pretty obvious that the hijab isnt an obligatory requirement for the women of the Brunei royal family, just like it isnt for Muslim women in general. Its actually a good thing that Princess Sarah doesnt feel pressured to dress a certain way and covers her hair while carrying out most official duties in Brunei and doesnt cover at less formal events.

[Zina]

I agree with you Minnie, but P. Sarah could look more radiant if she wore more complimentary colours to suit her complexion. Red, like you pointed out - Sarah looks magnificent in red. This shade of pink here doesn't do anything for her. She looks quite plain in these pictures..the colours are loud and clashing.

A plain headscarf , without pattern, would go nicely with that dress. With a plain scarf, her jewellery would stand out. Whoever picked out her outfit must not want her to look good.

[Zina]

Originally Posted by ~*~Humera~*~

you know i've noticed that the women of the royal family dont wear headscarves that match their outfits exactly. Most of the time it works and looks better than dressing in the same print from head to toe. But ofcourse there are exceptions.
Speaking of clothing, do you know if the royal family has a special designer that makes outfits for them? The cloth/prints used for their outfits, are they exclusively made for them or can anyone in Brunei buy them?

Generally, people in Brunei have their local fashioned clothes (known as baju kurung) made by a tailor, so no doubt the Royals have their own tailors. The material is readily available at shops to buy, but not completed outfits. The Royals probably buy their most of their material from overseas, such as Italian silk, etc.

[Zina]

Originally Posted by ~*~Humera~*~

There are women in the royal family who dont cover at all. The Queen didnt use to cover a couple of years ago either. I think its pretty obvious that the hijab isnt an obligatory requirement for the women of the Brunei royal family, just like it isnt for Muslim women in general. Its actually a good thing that Princess Sarah doesnt feel pressured to dress a certain way and covers her hair while carrying out most official duties in Brunei and doesnt cover at less formal events.

You are right Humera, until a few years ago, the Queen did not always wear the headscarf (known as "tudong") here in Brunei. During the Sultan's Birthday function at the Palace, where H.M would give out titles to people, neither of his wives would wear the tudong, despite it being a formal occasion. Instead it was customary for them to show their hair and simply wear a tiara.

But in recent years, that has changed - the Queen now covers her head during that function. I think the religious authorities have tightened their grip on the royals, making it compulsory for the Queen to cover at all times. When Sarah is Queen, who knows, she may always be required to cover. However for minor royals, such as P. Sufri's wife, the rules don't apply, as they have no official role in the country's affairs.

[abir]

Thanks Humera and Zina for explanation :)

[Humera]

Originally Posted by Zina

You are right Humera, until a few years ago, the Queen did not always wear the headscarf (known as "tudong") here in Brunei. During the Sultan's Birthday function at the Palace, where H.M would give out titles to people, neither of his wives would wear the tudong, despite it being a formal occasion. Instead it was customary for them to show their hair and simply wear a tiara.

But in recent years, that has changed - the Queen now covers her head during that function. I think the religious authorities have tightened their grip on the royals, making it compulsory for the Queen to cover at all times. When Sarah is Queen, who knows, she may always be required to cover. However for minor royals, such as P. Sufri's wife, the rules don't apply, as they have no official role in the country's affairs.

I read somewhere on this board that the Queen might have started covering since she performed the Hajj. Is that true?

[Zina]

Originally Posted by ~*~Humera~*~

I read somewhere on this board that the Queen might have started covering since she performed the Hajj. Is that true?

Yes, since the Royals performed the Haj, they began wearing the tudong. Also a new concept known as "Malay Islamic Monarchy" came into effect, and among its many rules...was making the tudong compulsory head wear for women in the government service. Everywhere you go now, women are wearing tudong, whereas before the Royals went on the Haj, most women did not cover.

[Humera]

Originally Posted by Zina

Yes, since the Royals performed the Haj, they began wearing the tudong. Also a new concept known as "Malay Islamic Monarchy" came into effect, and among its many rules...was making the tudong compulsory head wear for women in the government service. Everywhere you go now, women are wearing tudong, whereas before the Royals went on the Haj, most women did not cover.

ah I see..
thanx for clarifying

[Humera]

February 26, 2005
Sultan receives Pakistani Chairman of the Joint Chief of Staff Committee, General Ehsan Ul Haq

[Humera]

February 26, 2005