World leaders, royals grace Brunei Prince Abdul Mateen’s marriage ceremony as regal ceremony reaches climax

The favored prince was one in all Asia’s most eligible bachelors till he tied the knot with Yang Amat Mulia Pengiran Anak Isteri Anisha Rosnah, who’s from a outstanding household in Brunei.

Mateen’s father is Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah, the world’s longest reigning monarch and as soon as the richest man on the planet.

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There was a festive ambiance within the metropolis with free ice cream on supply and smooth drinks on the market as folks started to take positions alongside the parade route hours earlier than it started.

Carrying a conventional formal outfit and matching songkok hat, retired banker Haji Suhaimin Abas, 66, was among the many elite Bruneians to obtain an invite to the marriage ceremony.

“This can be a very massive celebration,” he stated as he ate breakfast earlier than going to the palace.

Royalty from Jordan, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Bhutan have been listed among the many reported 5,000 friends.

Sunday’s celebration is the spotlight of 10 days of pomp and pageantry within the tiny nation, whose excessive wealth is derived nearly totally from its monumental oil and fuel reserves.

Mateen, a British-trained army officer in Brunei’s armed forces and a helicopter pilot, held courtroom along with his spouse on the elaborate ceremony earlier than invited friends.

The ceremony was steeped in custom drawn from Brunei’s centuries-old historical past as an Islamic monarchy.

The couple stood at the back of an open-top Rolls-Royce waving to onlookers as they wove by way of the capital, the place their photographs have been displayed on road arches and constructing facades for days.

Lots of the sultan’s topics lined the streets beneath a scorching solar to catch a glimpse of the couple.

Hajah Aminah Abd Morsidee, 91 who has seen 5 royal weddings in her lifetime, stated she was “completely satisfied to see Prince Mateen marrying the gorgeous Anisha”.

Schoolteacher Norliha Mohamad Din, 37, stated it was a “once-in-a-lifetime second”.

“I’ve seen Prince Mateen since he was small,” she stated. “I’m very completely satisfied for him. That is a technique of exhibiting appreciation to the royal household.”

Because the tenth little one and fourth son of the sultan, Mateen is unlikely to ever ascend the throne.

However he seems to have taken on the unofficial function of presenting a contemporary face for the royal household in a bid to attach with a youthful era of Bruneians raised on social media.

Mateen’s matinee idol appears and well-chiselled physique have earned him an enormous following on Instagram the place rigorously curated images and movies present him taking part in polo, dabbling in pictures and posing in army uniform.