Meeting The Sultan: A Guide To Brunei's Royalty

The Sultan of Brunei, Hassanal Bolkiah, is one of the few remaining absolute monarchs in the world and has ruled the country since 1967. He is also the prime minister of Brunei and, as of 2023, is said to have a net worth of $30 billion. The sultan's introduction of strict Islamic criminal penalties in 2014, including the death penalty for homosexuality and adultery, sparked international protests and calls for boycotts of companies owned by the Bruneian royal family.

The Sultan's wealth and how he acquired it

The Sultan of Brunei, Hassanal Bolkiah, has a net worth of around $28-30 billion and is one of the wealthiest individuals in the world. He has been the Sultan of Brunei since 1967 and is also the country's Prime Minister. He is one of the few remaining absolute monarchs in the world and is the world's longest-reigning current monarch and the longest-serving current head of state.

The Sultan's wealth comes primarily from oil and natural gas reserves. He is known for his extravagant spending and luxurious lifestyle, which includes a vast collection of rare automobiles, a private jet, a private zoo, and a mansion made out of gold.

The Sultan's car collection is one of the largest in the world and includes a gold-plated Rolls-Royce, 450 Ferraris, 380 Bentleys, a grey Lamborghini Urraco, a Ferrari 456 GT Venice, and a Porsche 959. His collection is worth over $5 billion and includes more than 7,000 vehicles in total.

In addition to his car collection, the Sultan also owns a private jet, a Boeing 747, which he customized with gold and crystal details, including a gold washbasin. He is also reported to have given his daughter an Airbus A340 as a birthday present.

The Sultan's mansion, the Istana Nurul Iman Palace, is the largest palace in the world, covering 2 million square feet. The palace features a dome embellished with 22-carat gold, five swimming pools, 257 baths, more than 1700 rooms, 200 air-conditioned horse barns, and 110 garages.

The Sultan's luxurious spending also extends to personal services. He regularly flies his barber in from the Dorchester Hotel in London and pays around $12,000 for a first-class flight. He reportedly spends $20,000 on a single haircut.

The Sultan's hotels and whether to boycott them

The Sultan of Brunei, Hassanal Bolkiah, owns nine luxury hotels across the world through his Brunei Investment Agency. These include the Beverly Hills Hotel and the Hotel Bel-Air in Los Angeles, the Dorchester in London, 45 Park Lane, Coworth Park Hotel in Berkshire, Le Meurice and the Hotel Plaza Athenee in Paris, the Hotel Eden in Rome, and the Hotel Principe di Savoia in Milan. These hotels are part of the Dorchester Collection, which is managed by the Brunei Investment Agency, the sovereign wealth fund of the Sultan.

In 2014, the Sultan began phasing in Islamic, or Sharia, laws in his country, which included punishments such as public flogging, amputation, and death by stoning for offences such as homosexuality, adultery, and abortion. This sparked a boycott of the Dorchester Collection hotels, led by celebrities such as George Clooney, Elton John, Ellen DeGeneres, and Richard Branson. The boycott was effective to an extent, causing the Dorchester Collection to lose $2 million in revenue, and prompting the nation to put a hold on the harshest of its provisions. However, the boycott eventually died down, and celebrities slowly returned to the hotels.

In 2019, Clooney called for a renewed boycott as the Sultan was expected to enforce the harsh penalties in Brunei. This led to the hotels shutting down their social media accounts due to online criticism. Despite the boycott, it is uncertain whether it will affect change for the LGBTQ citizens of Brunei. Additionally, there are concerns about the impact on hotel employees, who are not to blame for the Brunei regime and rely largely on tips.

While a boycott of the Sultan's western interests may not change anything, it is argued that anyone with human decency should support it as a stand against the inhumane laws. However, it is also important to consider the potential harm to innocent staff members and the fact that the Sultan could easily absorb any drop in bookings.

The Sultan's stance on LGBT+ rights

The Sultan of Brunei, Hassanal Bolkiah, has been the Prime Minister of Brunei since 1984 and is one of the few remaining absolute monarchs in the world. In 2014, the country first introduced Sharia law, giving it a dual legal system with both Sharia and Common Law.

In 2019, the Sultan introduced strict new Islamic laws that made anal sex and adultery offences punishable by stoning to death. The laws also covered a range of other crimes, such as theft, which would be punished by amputation. These laws sparked international condemnation, with celebrities such as George Clooney, Elton John, and Ellen DeGeneres calling for a boycott of the luxury hotels owned by the Sultan. In response to the backlash, the Brunei government extended its moratorium on the death penalty to encompass the Syariah Penal Code Order (SPCO) in May 2019.

Under the SPCO, the penalty for same-sex sexual relations between married men is death by stoning, provided they admit to the acts or four male adult Muslim eyewitnesses testify. If the evidentiary standards are not met, the maximum penalty is seven years' imprisonment and whipping. For unmarried men, the penalty is one year in prison or 100 lashes. Sexual relations between women are punishable by a combination of any two of the following: a caning of forty lashes, a maximum prison term of ten years, and a fine of up to 40,000 Brunei dollars.

The Sultan's education and career path

The current Sultan of Brunei, Hassanal Bolkiah, was born on July 15, 1946, during the reign of his uncle, Sultan Ahmad Tajuddin. He is the eldest son of Sultan Omar Ali Saifuddien III and Raja Isteri Pengiran Anak Damit, and he was second in line to the throne at the time of his birth.

Hassanal Bolkiah began his education at the Istana Darul Hana Surau in 1955 and finished in early 1959. He then attended the Jamalul Alam Malay School in Brunei Town, where he completed his third grade of schooling in 1955 at the age of nine. After that, he received private tuition for a few months before relocating to Kuala Lumpur to further his education. He attended Jalan Gurney School and then Victoria Institution from 1961 to 1963, becoming the first Sultan of Brunei to complete his education both domestically and abroad.

At the age of fifteen, Hassanal Bolkiah was crowned Crown Prince in July 1961. He later enrolled as a cadet officer at the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst (RMAS) in January 1966. He pursued studies in English, mathematics, science, military science, and international affairs, with a focus on Russia. He graduated and was commissioned as an Honorary Captain in the Coldstream Guards in March 1968.

In October 1967, Hassanal Bolkiah's father, Sultan Omar Ali Saifuddien III, abdicated the throne, and Hassanal Bolkiah returned to Brunei to assume his duties as the new Sultan. He was crowned as the 29th Sultan of Brunei on October 5, 1967, becoming the head of state and government as the Prime Minister of Brunei. He is one of the few remaining absolute monarchs in the world.

The Sultan's family and personal life

The Sultan of Brunei, Hassanal Bolkiah, has been married three times. He first married his cousin, Raja Isteri Pengiran Anak Hajah Saleha, in 1965. As polygamy is legal in Brunei, Saleha remained his Queen Consort despite the Sultan marrying and divorcing two other women: an air hostess and a TV anchor. In total, he has 12 children.

The Sultan's eldest son, Crown Prince Haji Al-Muhtadee Billah, is his heir. When the Crown Prince married in 2004, American singer Whitney Houston was reportedly paid $10.1 million to perform at the reception.

The Sultan's brother, Prince Jefri Bolkiah, has had six wives, four of whom he is divorced from, and 19 children. He has been accused of paying women to travel to Brunei to have sex with him and of keeping a harem of up to 25 women. Nicknamed the "Playboy Prince", he was exiled from Brunei in the 2000s.

The Sultan's lavish lifestyle has been well documented. He is said to have a net worth of $30 billion and is known for his multi-million-dollar parties. He owns luxury hotels in London, Paris, and New York, a giant yacht, and luxury vessels. He also once owned one of the largest private car collections in the world.

Frequently asked questions