Who is the Sultan of Brunei, Haji Hassanal Bolkiah, one of the richest monarchs in the world, who will welcome Prime Minister Modi? – Firstpost

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, is welcomed at the airport by the wealthy monarch.

Sultan Bolkiah will also receive Modi at his palace, which is said to be the largest in the world.

Sultan Bolkiah is one of the richest monarchs in the world and one of the few remaining rulers with absolute power over his country.

But what do we know about Sultan Bolkiah?

Let’s take a closer look:

Early years and accession to the throne

Sultan Bolkiah was born on 15 July 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

According to Britannica, Bolkiah initially received private education in Brunei.

He then went to Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia to continue his studies, where he enrolled at the Victoria Institution, according to Britannica.

In 1966–67 he also attended officer training at the Royal Military Academy at Sandhurst.

Sultan Saifuddin installed Bolkiah as crown prince in 1961.

Bolkiah was 15 years old at the time.

In 1967, Sultan Saifuddin abdicated the throne.

Bolkiah became Sultan of Brunei in October 1967.

In the meantime, he had married his cousin Pengiran Anak Saleha at the age of 19, according to Company Insider.

On 1 August 1968, he was officially crowned as the 29th Sultan and Yang Di-Pertuan of Brunei Darussalam.

Saifuddin, who remained the power behind the throne for the next decade, only retired from public life after his wife’s death in 1979.

Sultan Bolkiah now came to the fore and travelled around Brunei to listen to the citizens and make himself visible.

Before Brunei’s independence from Britain, Sultan Bolkiah also began appointing citizens to the bureaucracy and tackling corruption, as evidenced by Britannica.

Sultan Bolkiah visited London in 1978 to discuss Brunei’s sovereignty.

The trip resulted in the signing of the Treaty of Friendship and Cooperation between Great Britain and Brunei.

In 1984, Brunei, which had been a protectorate of Britain since 1888, finally became independent.

Sultan Bolkiah then appointed himself prime minister.

In 1991, he introduced the Malaysian Muslim monarchy, which describes the monarch as the “defender of the faith”.

He is the world’s second longest-reigning monarch and one of the few rulers with absolute power over his country.

He is also the Minister of Defence and Minister of Finance of Brunei.

Although Sultan Bolkiah remains popular in Brunei, he has been criticised for the introduction of Sharia law.

Brunei became the first country in East Asia to adopt Sharia law in 2014. The law prescribes stoning for adultery and amputation of limbs for theft.

In 2019, Brunei introduced a law that allows people to be put to death in circumstances related to homosexuality, as stated in BBC channel.

The news quickly went viral and was picked up by Western media.

Celebrities such as George Clooney and Ellen Degeneres called for a boycott of Brunei.

Although Brunei initially resisted, after international pressure Sultan Bolkiah announced that the death penalty would never be carried out.

Wealth

Sultan Bolkiah is known to be extremely wealthy.

Sultan Bolkiah, who was estimated to have a personal fortune of around $30 billion, was the richest person in the world in the 1980s and 1990s.

He was eventually overtaken by Microsoft founder Bill Gates.

According to SCMPSultan Bolkiah owns about 7,000 cars, including 450 Ferraris, 380 Bentleys and 600 Rolls-Royces, including one gold-plated.

The Sultan’s golden Rolls-Royce, a royal wedding car, has an open roof and a platform for an umbrella holder.

His car collection alone, which includes rare vehicles such as the Lamborghini Urraco, a Ferrari 456 GT Venice (only seven were made) and a Porsche 959, is said to be worth $5 billion.

Sultan Bolkiah’s family was reportedly responsible for nearly half of all Rolls-Royces purchased worldwide in the 1990s.

Sultan Bolkiah is said to own a number of aircraft, including a Boeing 747-400, a Boeing 767-200 and an Airbus A340-200.

The Boeing 747 is so luxurious that the aircraft has been nicknamed the ‘flying palace’.

It is said to have cost $400 million.

According to Daily Mailthe plane, has solid gold wash basins.

It concerns accessories worth 120 million dollars.

Sultan Bolkiah is also said to have given his daughter an Airbus A340 for her birthday.

Sultan Bolkiah lives in the largest palace in the world.

Designed by architect Leandro Locsin, the Istana Nurul Iman Palace 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 and air-conditioned stables on the property to house his horses.

The palace, which covers an area of ​​200,000 square meters, was built in 1984 at a cost of $1.4 billion.

According to The Times, Sultan Bolkiah has his barber come over from the Dorchester Hotel to the Mayfair Hotel in London to cut his hair.

Each trip costs $20,000.

The barber, who is given a first-class ticket, is paid in cash.

“He goes there regularly, sometimes every three or four weeks. The Sultan flies him first class for about $12,000. Everything is paid for. Hotel, luxury food. It’s a case of ‘just keep signing, that’s it,'” a source told the newspaper.

According to Insider, Sultan Bolkiah also spent $70 million on the painting Two young girls at the piano by the French impressionist Pierre-Auguste Renoir.

Sultan Bolkiah also has its own private zoo, which houses 30 Bengal tigers.

He treats world leaders visiting Brunei to private shows at the zoo featuring falcons, flamingos and cockatoos.

Sultan Bolkiah has also hired 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 authorized to fly both airplanes and helicopters.