Bandar Seri Begawan : One of Asia’s most eligible bachelors, Prince Abdul Mateen, is scheduled to wed his commoner fiancée on Thursday as part of an opulent 10-day celebration in the oil-rich sultanate.
The capital city of Bandar Seri Begawan’s gold-domed mosque will host the Islamic marriage ceremony between the 32-year-old prince and 29-year-old Yang Mulia Anisha Rosnah.
As the tenth child of Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah, the longest-reigning monarch and former richest man on Earth, Mateen is well down the line of succession.
His bride — the granddaughter of one of his father’s key advisers — reportedly has a fashion brand and co-owns a tourism business.
Celebrations for the royal wedding reach their climax on Sunday with a glittering ceremony in the 1,788-room palace and an elaborate procession.
The guest list is expected to include international royalty and political leaders.
“It’s like a fairytale,” university student Syahida Wafa Mohamed Shah, 22, told AFP on Wednesday, near the Omar Ali Saifuddien Mosque, where the marriage will be solemnised.
Many Bruneians plan to line the streets for Sunday’s procession when the couple will pass by in a royal carriage.
“It’s like something from a movie,” said Nazatul Izzati Saifulrizal, 19.
Extreme wealth
The pomp and pageantry of the royal extravaganza highlights the tiny country’s extreme wealth, which is almost entirely derived from its enormous oil reserves.
A sliver of land on the northern edge of Borneo island in Southeast Asia, Brunei was influenced by Buddhism and Hinduism before its rulers converted to Islam in the 14th century.
It fell under British rule in the 19th century and gained independence in 1984.
An absolute monarchy with strict Islamic laws and a population of only around 450,000 people, Brunei is one of the world’s richest countries.
Its annual GDP per capita is nearly $36,000, according to the International Monetary Fund. However, analysts have warned that Brunei faces serious challenges to diversify its economy away from oil as crude prices remain volatile and its reserves dwindle.
While the sultan has long lost the title of the world’s richest man to tech billionaires, his wealth remains the stuff of legend.
He is reported to have a vast collection of luxury vehicles and his riverside official residence is one of the world’s largest palaces.
‘Hot royal’
Mateen may not be the heir apparent, but his matinee idol appearance and massive social media following have elevated him to prominence within the royal family.
He was once known as the “hot royal” and is currently a helicopter pilot in his nation’s air force. In the media, he is frequently compared to Prince Harry of Britain.
Mateen competed in polo for his nation at the 2019 Southeast Asian Games after graduating from the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst in Britain as an officer cadet.
He has become more involved in international diplomacy in recent years.
The prince went with his father to Queen Elizabeth’s funeral in 2022 as well as King Charles and Queen Camilla’s coronation in May of last year.
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