 "Who is Brunei's Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah, one of world's richest monarchs, who will host PM Modi?")
Prime Minister Narendra Modi is visiting Brunei today (September 3) and tomorrow.
Modi, who is making the trip at the invitation of Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah, will be greeted at the airport by the fabulously wealthy monarch.
Sultan Bolkiah will also host Modi at his palace — said to be the largest in the world.
Sultan Bolkiah is one of the world’s wealthiest monarchs and one of the few remaining rulers with absolute power over his nation.
But what do we know about Sultan Bolkiah?
Let’s take a closer look:
Early years and ascension to the throne
Sultan Bolkiah was born on July 15, 1946, in Brunei Town (now Bandar Seri Begawan).
His father was Sultan Haji Omar Ali Saifuddin and his mother was Raja Isteri (Queen Consort) Pengiran Anak Damit
As per Britannica, Bolkiah was at first privately educated in Brunei.
He then went to Malaysia’s Kuala Lumpur for further studies where he enrolled at the Victoria Institution, as per Britannica.
He also trained as an officer at Sandhurst’s Royal Military Academy in 1966-1967.
Sultan Saifuddin enthroned Bolkiah as Crown Prince in 1961.
Bolkiah was 15 at the time.
Then, in 1967, Sultan Saifuddin abdicated the throne.
Bolkiah became Sultan of Brunei on October 1967.
Impact Shorts
More ShortsIn the meantime, he had married his cousin Pengiran Anak Saleha at the age of 19, as per Business Insider.
He was officially crowned the 29th Sultan and Yang Di-Pertuan of Brunei Darussalam on August 1, 1968.
Saifuddin, who remained the power behind the throne for the next decade, only withdrew from public life after the death of his wife in 1979.
Sultan Bolkiah now came to the fore – travelling across Brunei to hear from citizens and to make himself visible.
Ahead of Brunei’s independence from Britain, Sultan Bolkiah also began appointing citizens to the bureaucracy and tamped down on corruption, as per Britannica.
Sultan Bolkiah in 1978 visited London to discuss Brunei’s sovereignty.
The trip resulted in Britain and Brunei signing the Treaty of Friendship and Co-operation.
Then, in 1984, Brunei, which had been a protectorate of Britain from 1888, finally received its independence.
Sultan Bolkiah then appointed himself prime minister.
In 1991, he introduced the Malay Muslim Monarchy which refers to the monarch as the “defender of the faith.”
He is the second-longest reigning monarch in the world and one of the few rulers with absolute power over his nation.
He is also defence minister and finance minister of Brunei.
Though Sultan Bolkiah remains popular in Brunei, he has faced flak for introducing Sharia law.
Brunei in 2014 became the first nation in East Asia to adopt Sharia law – which prescribes stoning for adultery and amputation of limbs for stealing.
In 2019, Brunei introduced a law letting people be put to death in circumstances for gay sex, as per BBC.
The news, which quickly went viral, was picked up by western outlets.
Celebrities including George Clooney and Ellen Degeneres called for a boycott of Brunei.
Though Brunei was initially defiant, after international pressure, Sultan Bolkiah announced that the death penalty would never be enforced.
Wealth
Sultan Bolkiah is known for being fabulously wealthy.
Sultan Bolkiah, who is thought to have a personal fortune of around $30 billion, was the world’s richest person during the 1980s and 1990s.
He was eventually overtaken my Microsoft founder Bill Gates.
As per SCMP, Sultan Bolkiah owns around 7,000 cars including 450 Ferraris and 380 Bentleys and 600 Rolls-Royces – including one which is gold-plated.
The Sultan’`s gold royal wedding Rolls-Royce has an open top and platform for an umbrella bearer.
His car collection alone which includes such rare vehicles such as the Lamborghini Urraco, a Ferrari 456 GT Venice (only seven have been made) and a Porsche 959 is said to be worth $5 billion.
Sultan Bolkiah’s family during the 1990s reportedly accounted for almost half of all Rolls-Royce bought in the world.
Sultan Bolkiah is said to own a number of planes including a Boeing 747-400, Boeing 767-200 and Airbus A340-200 jets.
The Boeing 747 is so lavish that is has been nicknamed ‘the flying palace.’
It is said to have cost $400 million.
As per Daily Mail, the plane, has solid gold wash basins.
It as accessories worth $120 million.
Sultan Bolkiah also reportedly gave his daughter an Airbus A340 for her birthday.
Sultan Bolkiah lives in the world’s largest palace.
The Istana Nurul Iman Palace, designed by architect Leandro Locsin, has over 1,700 rooms, 257 bathrooms and five swimming pools.
It was built to celebrate Brunei’s independence from Britain.
Sultan Bolkiah also has 110 garages on the property as well as air-conditioned stables to house his horses.
The palace, which is spread over 200,000 square metres, was built at a cost of $1.4 billion in 1984.
According to The Times, Sultan Bolkiah flies in his barber from the Dorchester Hotel in London’s Mayfair Hotel to cut his hair.
Each trip costs $20,000.
The barber, who is given a first-class ticket, is paid in cash.
“He goes regularly, sometimes every three or four weeks. The sultan flies him first-class at a cost of about $12,000. Everything is paid for. Hotel, luxury food. It’s a case of ‘just keep signing, that’s all,’” a source told the newspaper.
As per Insider, Sultan Bolkiah also spent $70 million for the painting Two Young Girls at the Piano by French impressionist Pierre-Auguste Renoir.
Sultan Bolkiah also has his own private zoo which includes 30 Bengal tigers.
He treats world leaders visiting Brunei to private shows at the zoo which contains falcons, flamingos and cockatoos.
Sultan Bolkiah also got golf legend Jack Niclaus to design a course for one of his hotels.
Personal life
Sultan Bolkiah is married to Her Majesty the Duli Raja Isteri Pengiran Anak Hajah Saleha.
They have five sons and seven daughters.
Bolkiah is an avid player of polo, squash and badminton.
He is also certified to fly both airplanes and helicopters.
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