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Royal Wedding Of Brunei Princess
A two-week lavish wedding celebration for the daughter of Brunei's sultan one of the world's richest men culminated Sunday in a ceremony steeped in the royal tradition of this tiny, oil-rich nation.
Princess Majeedah Nuurul Bulqiah, 31, and Khairul Khalil, 32, exchanged their vows Thursday and were officially presented to the public on Sunday according to Islamic religious rites.
The groom was greeted by the bride's father, Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah, in the 1,788-room palace's main hall and led to the royal dais where she was seated. The sultan then took Khairul's hand and placed it on the princess' head briefly before seating him next to her.
Cannon shots were fired, and the ceremony, attended by some 2,000 guests, ended with a thanksgiving prayer.
As they left the hall, the couple dressed in matching gold and maroon traditional Malay outfits gave a bow of respect before Hassanal and his two wives. The newlyweds then sat in a motor-driven carriage and led a procession around the capital, Bandar Seri Begawan, which was festooned with colorful banners. Thousands of onlookers lined the streets, waving tiny flags.
Brunei has vast oil and gas reserves that have fueled the royal family's fortunes and made the country one of the richest per capita in the world. Its oil reserves are currently estimated at about 1.2 billion barrels.
Hassanal, 61, had an estimated net worth of nearly $40 billion in 1997, the most recent figures available. He has ruled the tropical Islamic country on Borneo island for nearly four decades, and his family has reigned for about 600 years.
Family members hold all key government positions. In addition to being prime minister, Hassanal holds the defense and finance portfolios, and is supreme commander of the armed forces.
Majeedah is the fourth of Hassanal's 11 children, and works as a senior officer in the environment, parks and recreation department. The groom is an assistant officer in the prime minister's office.
Diamonds sparkled and cannons boomed yesterday as a daughter of the Sultan of Brunei, one of the world's richest men, married a civil servant in a lavish traditional ceremony.
Climaxing two weeks of celebrations, thousands braved a blistering midday sun to greet the daughter of Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah and her smiling husband as they cruised through town in a gold Rolls-Royce after the ceremony at the 1,700-room palace.
More than 2,000 guests witnessed the wedding of Princess Majeedah Nuurul Bulqiah, 31, and Pengiran Khairul Khalil, 32, beneath 12 crystal chandeliers in the throne room.
The princess, wearing a tiara and holding a small bouquet of diamond-studded flowers, sat beneath a gold-leaf canopy at the head of the hall.
Mr Khairul, escorted by Sultan Hassanal, crossed a yellow carpet and passed between four tall yellow candles to approach his bride. He placed his hands briefly on her forehead before the muffled boom of cannons sounded 17 times outside.
The princess, who holds a master's degree in environmental development from King's College London, is the fourth child of the Sultan, one of the world's longest reigning monarchs.
Mr Khairul, who works in the prime minister's office and also studied in Britain, received a royal title and is now known as "Yang Amat Mulia Pengiran Anak Khairul Khalil", or "very noble".The sultanate, which dates back to the 15th century, is an absolute monarchy which gained its full independence from Britain in 1984.
Occupying a sliver of Borneo island, it is the world's fourth-largest producer of liquefied natural gas.
The mineral wealth has brought Brunei's citizens, who number fewer than 400,000, one of the highest per capita incomes in Asia.
Princess Majeedah Nuurul Bulqiah, 31, and Khairul Khalil, 32, exchanged their vows Thursday and were officially presented to the public on Sunday according to Islamic religious rites.
The groom was greeted by the bride's father, Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah, in the 1,788-room palace's main hall and led to the royal dais where she was seated. The sultan then took Khairul's hand and placed it on the princess' head briefly before seating him next to her.
Cannon shots were fired, and the ceremony, attended by some 2,000 guests, ended with a thanksgiving prayer.
As they left the hall, the couple dressed in matching gold and maroon traditional Malay outfits gave a bow of respect before Hassanal and his two wives. The newlyweds then sat in a motor-driven carriage and led a procession around the capital, Bandar Seri Begawan, which was festooned with colorful banners. Thousands of onlookers lined the streets, waving tiny flags.
Brunei has vast oil and gas reserves that have fueled the royal family's fortunes and made the country one of the richest per capita in the world. Its oil reserves are currently estimated at about 1.2 billion barrels.
Hassanal, 61, had an estimated net worth of nearly $40 billion in 1997, the most recent figures available. He has ruled the tropical Islamic country on Borneo island for nearly four decades, and his family has reigned for about 600 years.
Family members hold all key government positions. In addition to being prime minister, Hassanal holds the defense and finance portfolios, and is supreme commander of the armed forces.
Majeedah is the fourth of Hassanal's 11 children, and works as a senior officer in the environment, parks and recreation department. The groom is an assistant officer in the prime minister's office.
Diamonds sparkled and cannons boomed yesterday as a daughter of the Sultan of Brunei, one of the world's richest men, married a civil servant in a lavish traditional ceremony.
Climaxing two weeks of celebrations, thousands braved a blistering midday sun to greet the daughter of Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah and her smiling husband as they cruised through town in a gold Rolls-Royce after the ceremony at the 1,700-room palace.
More than 2,000 guests witnessed the wedding of Princess Majeedah Nuurul Bulqiah, 31, and Pengiran Khairul Khalil, 32, beneath 12 crystal chandeliers in the throne room.
The princess, wearing a tiara and holding a small bouquet of diamond-studded flowers, sat beneath a gold-leaf canopy at the head of the hall.
Mr Khairul, escorted by Sultan Hassanal, crossed a yellow carpet and passed between four tall yellow candles to approach his bride. He placed his hands briefly on her forehead before the muffled boom of cannons sounded 17 times outside.
The princess, who holds a master's degree in environmental development from King's College London, is the fourth child of the Sultan, one of the world's longest reigning monarchs.
Mr Khairul, who works in the prime minister's office and also studied in Britain, received a royal title and is now known as "Yang Amat Mulia Pengiran Anak Khairul Khalil", or "very noble".The sultanate, which dates back to the 15th century, is an absolute monarchy which gained its full independence from Britain in 1984.
Occupying a sliver of Borneo island, it is the world's fourth-largest producer of liquefied natural gas.
The mineral wealth has brought Brunei's citizens, who number fewer than 400,000, one of the highest per capita incomes in Asia.