Muda Hassanal Bolkiah

Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah Mu'izzaddin Waddaulah ibni Al-Marhum Sultan Haji Omar Ali Saifuddien Sa'adul Khairi Waddien (Bandar Seri Begawan, July 15, 1946) is the current Sultan of Brunei. He is number 29 in his line from the 14th century.

Biography

Muda Hassanal was born on July 15, 1946 in Brunei Town (now Bandar Seri Begawan).

As Brunei was a protectorate of the United Kingdom until 1984, it was subservient to Queen Elizabeth II until that date.

Studies

The Sultan completed his secondary studies at the Premier School Victoria Institution in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, where he joined the Cadet Corps. After receiving a private education in Brunei, he attended the Sandhurst Royal Military Academy in October 1967, but had to return home to be crowned a few months before graduation. Hassanal, being the eldest in the family, became Crown Prince in 1961 and ascended the throne on October 5, 1967, following the voluntary abdication of his father, Al-Marhum Sultan Haji Omar Ali Saifuddien Sa & #39;adul Khairi Waddien. It was Muda who in 1979 began talks with Great Britain to end British rule in Brunei, achieving the country's independence in January 1984.

Power

Brunei's Magna Carta establishes that its highest representative:

You can never be wrong as a private person or in your official capacity.

In terms of human rights, specifically LGTBI rights, homosexuality has always been illegal and on April 3, 2019 a law comes into force that allows execution by stoning in cases of adultery and sexual relations or the mutilation of limbs in case of theft. Punishments based on Islamic law (sharia), making the Brunei government one of the most restrictive, cruel and radical. These decisions created a great international controversy. Various media and personalities called on the sultan to retract. Among other initiatives, a veto was proposed against companies such as the "Dorchester Collection", a hotel chain belonging to the ruler, with headquarters in several European countries and the United States. It was speculated that this intensification in the matter of rights could be a strategy given the bad economic situation in the country, whose ties with the large eastern economies were lost due to its westernization.

The media are muzzled by a press law that requires all newspapers to obtain an annual permit from the Ministry of Interior and a deposit of 100,000 Brunei dollars (65,000 euros). In addition, it contemplates prison terms of up to three months for the disclosure of "false news".

Family

The Sultan, after marrying three times, currently has only one wife, Raja Isteri Pengiran Anak Hajah Saleha, who was his first (married since 1965), and is also his first cousin.

He divorced his second wife, who was a cabin crew member for Singapore Airlines, Pengiran Isteri Hajah Mariam, in 2003, after withdrawing all his royal titles. They got married in 1982.

After marrying Azrinaz Mazhar Hakim, a Malaysian TV3 presenter 33 years his junior, in August 2005, he concluded this marriage in 2010, after withdrawing all his royal titles.

He currently has 12 children.

• With Pengiran Anak Saleha:
  • Princess Rashidah (26 July 1969).
  • Princess Muta-Wakkilah (12 October 1971).
  • Crown Prince Al-Muhtadee Billah (17 February 1974).
  • Princess Majeedah Nuurul (16 March 1976).
  • Princess Hafizah (12 March 1980).
  • Prince 'Abdul Malik (30 June 1983).

• With Pengiran Isteri Hajah Mariam: divorced in 2003.
  • Prince 'Abdul 'Azim (29 July 1982 – 24 October 2020).
  • Princess 'Azemah (26 September 1984).
  • Princess Fadzillah (23 August 1985).
  • Prince 'Abdul Mateen (10 August 1991).

• With Pengiran Isteri Azrinaz Mazhar Hakim: divorced in 2010.
  • Prince 'Abdul Wakeel (1 June 2006).
  • Princess Ameerah (28 January 2008).

Charges

Bolkiah serves simultaneously as Prime Minister, Defense Minister, Finance Minister and head of the Islamic religion in Brunei.

Fortune

The 1973 oil crisis made him the richest man in the world and for more than a decade he topped the Forbes magazine millionaires list.

The 1997 Asian crisis and extravagance by the royal family greatly reduced the sultan's fortune. Since then he has lost many places on the Forbes list, although he remains the richest monarch. His current fortune is estimated at around 16 billion euros. But that crisis wobbled the Brunei government and led the sultan to take over as finance minister.

Brunei's 409,000 people have free healthcare and education. They are exempt from paying personal taxes. They have housing assistance. The price of rice is subsidized as it is the country's main food.

Lifestyle

Sultan Bolkiah is renowned for his lavish, prosperous and extravagant lifestyle, as well as his generosity to his servants. He pays millionaire salaries to his advisors and close friends, among his numerous possessions is the Badajoz de Talarrubias, as well as those in charge of his public image, palace supervisors, sports instructors, the guards of his exotic birds, etc..

He also owns thousands of sports cars, as well as planes and helicopters. Its palace, larger than Vatican City, has gold vaults, more than 1,800 rooms, more than 290 bathrooms, and a banquet hall that can accommodate thousands of people. The palace has 200,000 square meters, making it the second largest palace behind the Palace of the Forbidden City in Beijing (720,000 m²).

For his 50th birthday, the sultan hired Michael Jackson for $5 million to perform a private concert at Brunei's newly opened Jerudong Park Amphitheater. The Sultan did not even attend that concert, however he did attend another Michael concert at the same venue on December 31, 1996.

Cars

He owns around 5,000 sports cars: 130 Rolls Royces, 531 Mercedes-Benz, 367 Ferraris —including 6 FXs—, 362 Bentleys, 185 BMWs, 177 Jaguars, 160 Porsches, 20 Lamborghinis.

McLaren F1

Hassanal Bolkiah owns 7 McLaren F1 cars out of 100 built. The price for each was $970,000. In its day it was the fastest production car in the world.

Airplanes

He has 6 airplanes, two helicopters and a Boeing 747.

Brunese Honorary Awards

• Royal Brunéi Crown Family Order - Darjah Kerabat Mahkota Brunei - D.K.M.B. **
• Brunéi Family Order [First Class] - Darjah Kerabat Laila Utama Yang Amat Dihormati - D.K. (Laila Utama)
• Brunéi Family Order [Segunda Clase] - Darjah Kerabat Seri Utama Yang Amat Dihormati - D.K. (Seri Utama)
• Order of the Islamic Religion of the State of Brunéi [First Class] - Darjah Seri Ugama Islam Negara Brunei Yang Amat Bersinar Darjah Pertama - P.S.S.U.B. ♪
• Order of the Superb Value [First Class] - Darjah Paduka Laila Jasa Keberanian Gemilang Yang Amat Cemerlang Darjah Pertama - D.P.K.G. ♪
• Order of Famous Value [First Class] - Darjah Paduka Keberanian Laila Terbilang Yang Amat Gemilang Darjah Pertama - D.P.K.T. ♪
• Order of the Hero of the State of Brunéi [First Class] - Darjah Pahlawan Negara Brunei Yang Amat Perkasa Darjah Pertama - P.S.P.N.B.
• Brunéi State Loyalty Order [First Class] - Darjah Setia Negara Brunei Yang Amat Bahagia Darjah Pertama - P.S.N.B.
• Order of the Merit of Brunéi [First Class] - Darjah Paduka Seri Laila Jasa Yang Amat Berjasa Darjah Pertama - P.S.L.J.
• Order of the Crown of Brunéi [First Class] - Darjah Seri Paduka Mahkota Brunei Yang Amat Mulia Darjah Pertama - S.P.M.B.
• Order of the Brunéi State Galantry [First Class] - Darjah Perwira Agong Negara Brunei Yang Amat Setia Darjah Pertama - P.A.N.B.

N.B. * a decoration founded by the sultan on August 1, 1968; ** = a decoration founded by the sultan on August 15, 1982

Controversies with the company Amadeo

Amadeo is the sultan's company, he had open disagreements with his brother, Jefri Bolkiah who owned a network of companies and investment vehicles under the name "Amadeo" run by his son, Prince Hakim, which was used to buy the Asprey luxury goods company and build an amusement park and other projects in Brunei. In July 1998, the Amadeo group suffered a debt of 10 billion dollars, an incident, among others, that damaged the image of the Sultan of Brunei.

Ancestors

Predecessor: Omar Ali Saifuddien III

Sultan of Brunéi 1967 - Presente

Successor: In the post (in the future Al-Muhtadee Billah)