Hassanal Bolkiah facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Hassanal Bolkiah
Hassanal Bolkiah in 2021
Sultan of Brunei
Reign	5 October 1967 – present
Predecessor	Omar Ali Saifuddien III
Crown Prince	Al-Muhtadee Billah
Prime Minister of Brunei
Tenure	1 January 1984 – present
Predecessor	Office established, formerly known as Chief Minister
Deputy	Al-Muhtadee Billah
Minister of Foreign Affairs
Tenure	22 October 2015 – present
Predecessor	Mohamed Bolkiah
Minister of Finance
Tenure	23 February 1997 – present
Predecessor	Jefri Bolkiah
Tenure	1 January 1984 – 20 October 1986
Predecessor	Office established
Successor	Jefri Bolkiah
Minister of Defence Commander-in-Chief of the Royal Brunei Armed Forces
Tenure	7 September 1986 – present
Predecessor	Omar Ali Saifuddien III
Born	Hassanal Bolkiah Muiz'zaddin Wad'daulah (1946-07-15) 15 July 1946 (age 76) Istana Darussalam, Brunei Town, British Protectorate of Brunei (now Brunei)
Spouse	Raja Isteri Pengiran Anak Hajah Saleha ​ (m. 1965)​ Hajah Mariam ​ ​ (m. 1982; div. 2003)​ Azrinaz Mazhar ​ ​ (m. 2005; div. 2010)​
Issue	Princess Rashidah Bolkiah Princess Muta-Wakillah Bolkiah Crown Prince Al-Muhtadee Billah Princess Majeedah Bolkiah Princess Hafeezah Bolkiah Prince Abdul Azim (d. 24 October 2020) Prince Abdul Malik Princess Azemah Ni'matul Bolkiah Princess Fadzillah Lubabul Bolkiah Prince Abdul Mateen Prince Abdul Wakeel Princess Ameerah Wardatul Bolkiah
Full name Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah Mu'izzaddin Waddaulah ibni Al-Marhum Sultan Haji Omar 'Ali Saifuddien Sa'adul Khairi Waddien
House	Bolkiah
Father	Omar Ali Saifuddien III
Mother	Pengiran Anak Damit
Religion	Sunni Islam
Alma mater	Royal Military Academy Sandhurst, United Kingdom
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Hassanal Bolkiah ibni Omar Ali Saifuddien III (Jawi: حسن البلقية; born 15 July 1946) is the 29th and current Sultan and Yang di-Pertuan of Brunei since 1967 and the Prime Minister of Brunei since independence from the United Kingdom in 1984. He is one of the last absolute monarchs in the world. The eldest son of Sultan Omar Ali Saifuddien III and Raja Isteri (Queen) Pengiran Anak Damit, he succeeded to the throne as the sultan of Brunei following the abdication of his father on 5 October 1967.

The sultan has been ranked among the wealthiest individuals in the world. In 2008, Forbes estimated the sultan's total peak net worth at US$20 billion. Following the death of Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom in 2022, the Sultan is currently the world's longest-reigning current monarch, as well as the longest-serving current head of state. On 5 October 2017, the sultan celebrated his Golden Jubilee to mark the 50th year of his reign on the throne.

Early life

The sultan was born on 15 July 1946, in Istana Darussalam, Brunei Town (now called Bandar Seri Begawan) as Pengiran Muda (Prince) Hassanal Bolkiah. The sultan received high school education at Victoria Institution in Kuala Lumpur, after which he attended the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst in the United Kingdom, graduating in 1967.

Reign

Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah with U.S. President Barack Obama, 18 November 2015

Hassanal Bolkiah with Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte and Indonesian President Joko Widodo, 6 October 2017

He became the Sultan of Brunei Darussalam on 5 October 1967, after his father abdicated. His coronation was held on 1 August 1968, and made him the Yang di-Pertuan (Head of State) of Brunei. Like his father, he was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom, of which Brunei was a protectorate until 1984.

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 amended Brunei's constitution to make himself infallible under Bruneian law. Bolkiah, as Prime Minister, is also the head of government. In addition, he currently holds the portfolios of Minister of Defence, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Minister of Finance. As Minister of Defence he is therefore the Supreme Commander of the Royal Brunei Armed Forces, as well as an Honorary General in the British and Indonesian armed forces and an Honorary Admiral in the Royal Navy. He appointed himself as Inspector General of Police (IGP) of the Royal Brunei Police Force.

Bolkiah 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 (Malay Islamic Monarchy, MIB), which presents the monarchy as the defender of the faith. He has recently favoured Brunei government democratisation and declared himself Prime Minister and President. In 2004, the Legislative Council, which had been dissolved since 1962, was reopened.

Hassanal Bolkiah established the Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah Foundation (YSHHB).

Hassanal Bolkiah was chairman of Summit APEC Leaders in 2000 when Brunei Darussalam hosted the summit. Hassanal Bolkiah was also the chairman of ASEAN Summit in 2013 when Brunei Darussalam hosted the summit.

Hassanal Bolkiah is Head of Religion, and Islam is the official religion of the country. Mosques, prayer halls and stations were built across the country. The sultan decreed that Islamic celebrations such as Early Years Celebration Prophet's birthday, Isra and Miraj and Nuzul Al Quran are to be celebrated on a large scale. He often attends mosques and surau throughout the country for the obligatory Friday prayers.

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Hassanal Bolkiah also banned public celebrations of Christmas in 2015, including wearing hats or clothes that resemble Santa Claus. The ban affects only local Muslims. Christians are still allowed to celebrate Christmas. According to Bruneian Bishop and Cardinal Cornelius Sim, on 25 December 2015, there were around estimated 4,000 out of 18,000 Bruneian Catholics, mainly Chinese and expats living in the country, attending the mass on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. While there was no absolute ban on celebrations, there was a ban affecting Christmas decorations in public places, especially shopping malls; the ban did not affect small stores or private residences including churches.

Personal life

Saleha, the Queen Consort of Brunei

The sultan married his first cousin and first wife, Princess Pengiran Anak Saleha, who later became the Raja Isteri (Queen). His former second wife, Mariam Abdul Aziz (the former Pengiran Isteri), was a former flight attendant for the national carrier, Royal Brunei Airlines. He divorced her 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, and as with Mariam Abdul Aziz, the sultan stripped her of all titles, honours, and monthly allowance.

Prince Al-Muhtadee Billah is the current Pengiran Muda Mahkota ("crown prince") and the sultan's heir, as the eldest son of the sultan and Raja Isteri Pengiran Anak Saleha. As of 2012, Hassanal Bolkiah has five sons and seven daughters with his three wives. As of 2020, he also has 18 grandchildren.

Issue

Titles, styles and honours

Styles of The Sultan of Brunei
Reference style	His Majesty
Spoken style	Your Majesty
Alternative style	Kebawah Duli Tuan Patik

Full title

English:
"His Majesty Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah Mu’izzaddin Waddaulah ibni Al-Marhum Sultan Haji Omar ‘Ali Saifuddien Sa’adul Khairi Waddien, Sultan and Yang Di-Pertuan of Brunei Darussalam."

Malay:
(Rumi): "Kebawah Duli Yang Maha Mulia Paduka Seri Baginda Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah Mu’izzaddin Waddaulah ibni Al-Marhum Sultan Haji Omar ‘Ali Saifuddien Sa’adul Khairi Waddien, Sultan dan Yang Di-Pertuan Negara Brunei Darussalam."
(Jawi): "کباوه دولي يڠ مها موليا ڤادوک سري بݢندا سلطان حاج حسن البلقية معز الدين والدولة ابن المرحوم سلطان حاج عمر علي سيف الدين سعد الخير والدين، سلطان دان يڠ دڤرتوان نݢارا بروني دارالسلام."

Academic honours

The sultan received an honorary doctorate at the Moscow State University for International Relations (MGIMO), 2005. He previously held an Honorary Doctor of Law degree from the University of Oxford, England, which was returned on 6 May 2019 following a letter from the University (but not revoked), and an Honorary Doctor of Letters degree from the University of Aberdeen, Scotland, which was revoked on 17 April 2019. He received an Honorary Doctorate from the Chulalongkorn University of Thailand. In 2003, he received an Honorary Doctorate Degree in Humanities and Culture from Universitas Gadjah Mada (UGM), Yogyakarta, Indonesia. On 27 January 2005, he was awarded an Honorary Doctor of Laws by the National University of Singapore. On 14 April 2011, he was conferred the Honorary Doctorate of Law by King's College London. The scroll for the honorary doctorate was presented by Lord Duoro, the chairman of the Council of King's College London. This honorary doctorate was rescinded in 2019 by the Fellowships and Hororary Degrees Committee at King's College London upon recommendation of the Chairman of King's College Council, The Rt Hon the Lord Geidt, in light of the sultan's willingness to inflict death by stoning and other penalties upon homosexuals in Brunei. He was awarded with an honorary doctorate in philosophy and humanities on 21 April 2011 from Universitas Indonesia. On 23 March 2019, he was conferred the Honorary Doctorate Islamic Leadership from Universiti Teknologi MARA (UiTM), Malaysia.

Military honours

The sultan holds an honorary commission in the Royal Air Force of the United Kingdom as an Air Chief Marshal. He is also an Honorary Admiral of the Royal Navy and Honorary General of the British Army, 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 holds the rank of Honorary Colonel Commandant of Pakistan's Special Service Group (SSG), awarded to him during his visit to the Pakistan Army's SSG headquarters at Cherat with effect from 3 Apr 2005. He possesses red beret and paratrooper wings of the Black Hawk paratroopers, presented to him by the Indian Army during his state visit to India.

Honors

Personal emblem of the Sultan of Brunei

Malaysia

•  Malaysia: Honorary Recipient of the Order of the Crown of the Realm (DMN, 9 July 1980)
•  Johor: First Class of the Royal Family Order of Johor (DK I, 19 September 1969)

See also

• List of Sultans of Brunei
• List of Brunei-related topics
• List of current foreign ministers