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| Princess Hajah Hafizah Sururul Bolkiah and her groom Pengiran Haji Muhammad Ruzaini pray at the end of an official ceremony in Brunei's capital Bandar Seri Begawan. |
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| Philippine President Benigno Aquino (far left) along with Cambodia's PM Hun Sen (2nd left), Thai PM Yingluck Shinawatra (2nd right) and Saudi Arabia's Prince Faisal bin Saud bin Abdul Mohsen bin Abdul Aziz (far right) attend the wedding ceremony of the Brunei royal couple Princess Hajah Hafizah Sururul Bolkiah and her groom Pengiran Haji Muhammad Ruzaini. |
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| Brunei's Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah (centre) returns after blessing the royal couple Princess Hajah Hafizah Sururul Bolkiah and her groom Pengiran Haji Muhammad Ruzaini in Bandar Seri Begawan. |
France 24
AFP - Glittering jewels and the echoes of a 17-gun salute marked the climax of wedding celebrations for the daughter of one of the world's wealthiest men, the Sultan of Brunei.
Princess Hajah Hafizah Sururul Bolkiah, 32, and Pengiran Haji Muhammad Ruzaini, 29, were presented to the royal court in a lavish traditional ceremony at the sultan's 1,700-room palace on Sunday.
Although the couple were legally wed on Thursday after signing the marriage contract, Sunday's event marks the height of more than a week of festivities in the tiny oil-rich Muslim sultanate on Borneo island.
The bride, dressed in a crystal-beaded beige and silver gown, was ushered into the throne room by sixteen royal guards carrying ceremonial spears and shields.
She was seated at the head of the hall in front of 3,000 guests, including Thai Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra, Philippines President Benigno Aquino and Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen.
Visibly nervous, the groom, wearing beige and gold brocade to complement his wife's ensemble, was escorted to the bridal dias where the sultan took Ruzaini's hand and placed it on the bride's forehead -- a symbolic blessing and gesture of affection in Malay culture.
The monarch also bestowed the groom with the royal title "Yang Amat Mulia Pengiran Anak", which roughly translates as "Son of His Highness" and is reserved only for the upper tiers of Brunei's aristocracy.
Two pots of crystal flowers, with eggs tied on to the stalks, were placed next to the bride and groom on the dias to represent the hope of a fertile marriage.
The brief 20-minute ceremony concluded with the state religious leader reading a prayer for the newlyweds asking for God's blessing of the union.
As the smiling couple were ushered out of the room by the bride's younger brother Prince Abdul Mateen, they took turns to kiss the hands of the royal family, including the monarch and Queen Saleha.
A state banquet will be held in the evening, where Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak and other foreign dignitaries are expected to attend.
Queen Elizabeth II also sent a message to the Brunei royal family -- which has ruled the sultanate for 600 years -- congratulating the newlyweds and wishing them "a happy wedding day and many blessed years together".
The pomp and pageantry of the royal wedding is a rare source of excitement in Brunei, which is known for its slow pace of life and lack of nightlife -- alcohol is largely banned under Islamic practice.
It is the first time one of the sultan's children -- five sons and seven daughters from three marriages -- has married since 2007.
Hafizah, who has a degree in business administration, is the fifth child of the sultan and Queen Saleha and works as an officer at the finance ministry. Ruzaini is a civil servant in the prime minister's office.
The sultanate, which dates back to the 15th century, is a Malay Muslim absolute monarchy which gained full independence from Britain in 1984.
Situated on a sliver of Borneo island, with Malaysia and Indonesia occupying the rest, it is a major producer of oil and liquefied natural gas.
The energy wealth has brought Brunei's citizens, who number fewer than 400,000, one of the highest per capita incomes in Asia.
7 comments:
Hun Sen needs to dress better next time he shows up at any formal function with other heads of states.
His outfit in the picture is totally inappropriate and disgraceful to Cambodia.
Ah Leu Keu Hun Sen just wore a simple shirt and the rest wore suits.
What a Dumb Ass Hun Shit !!
You mean Hun Sen should dress like most Caucasians.
We are Khmer and this dress is OK. because the quality of the shirt madeby the Khmer silk material.
No he does not have to dress like cocasians. But he should wear ceremonial dress, not a plain shirt like that.
I'm not blaming Hun Sen; I'm blaming his idiot protocol officer.
Hun Xen's idiot protocol officers are Yuon. They intentionally made Hun Xen looks so stupid and so dumb and sloppy.
May be his stomach is getting bigger and bigger like a pregnant woman, that is why he cannot wear Khmer custom clothes.
One of the world richest nation, this Brunei King has 1700 rooms while Queen Elizabeth has only 775 rooms. I think Brunei is number 2 after palace royal in Madrid, Spain that has 3418 rooms since Spanish conquered the world 13th century.
The funny thing is the groom of this richest nation wears black shoes while everything is in golden color. LOL
Hun Xen looks like a slave who is waiting to wipe just dirt from guests' shoes.
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