Brunei's Prince Mateen's long-haired baby daughter Princess Zahra sparks debate in rare family photo


The Brunei royals have only shared a handful of photos of their young family since they welcomed their baby daughter in February 2026


Princess Anisha in white skinny jeans sat on prince mateens lap© Instagram
Nichola Murphy
Nichola MurphyLifestyle Editor
1 hour ago
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Prince Mateen of Brunei was captured enjoying some family time with his wife, Princess Anisha Rosnah, and their daughter, Princess Zahra.

In a candid photo, the son of Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah and his former wife, Puan Hajah Mariam binti Abdul Aziz, pulled off his sports clothing following a polo match, settling into an outdoor chair next to his family, who wore matching outfits. 

Dressed in peach wide-leg trousers with a cut-out trim, a matching top and suede loafers, Anisha was the epitome of understated elegance.

While she styled her long dark hair slicked back away from her face, her little girl sported a mop of dark hair secured with a pink bow that matched her adorable frilled dress.

After Mateen shared the family photo, fans took to the comments section to discuss the resemblance between Princess Zahra and her parents. While one wrote: "So pretty like her mum," another disagreed, penning: "She got her dad’s face."

Prince Mateen and Princess Anisha Rosnah sitting on chairs outside with their daughter Princess Zahra© Instagram
Prince Mateen of Brunei shared a sweet family photo with his wife Princess Anisha and daughter Princess Zahra

Twinning moments

This was not the first time that Princess Anisha took the opportunity to have a twinning fashion moment with her daughter.

Princess Anisha Rosnah and Prince Mateen holding their daughter Princess Zahra, who wore a pink dressed© Instagram
Prince Abdul Mateen shared a family photo on his daughter's 4-month birthday

In June, the couple marked four months as parents by sharing photos of Anisha in the 'Ellie Nap' dress from Hill House featuring a pink floral print, while Zahra was dressed in the mini ruffled version from the same designer.

The floral design was reportedly "inspired by 17th-century French textiles and delicate garden trellises."

Baby birth

Prince Abdul Mateen and Anisha are expecting their first baby© Getty
The couple got married in January 2024

Anisha and Mateen welcomed their first child on 8 February 2026, two years after they got married in an extravagant ten-day celebration, which included a ceremony at the Sultan's official residence, Istana Nurul Iman.

Zahra's birth announcement was shared by Bruneian news channel RTB News on Instagram. It revealed: "Following this release, 17 cannon shots were fired in the grounds of Istana Nurul Iman."

London home

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They are thought to be raising Zahra in London, where they have a private residence. Former family photos on Instagram have shared a peek inside the home, which features a living room with a large L-shaped sofa, a subtle patterned rug, and a mahogany TV stand, which was visible in the background as Mateen cradled his sleeping daughter.

Meanwhile, the white panelled playroom acted as a backdrop for the Instagram photo in which Mateen announced Zahra's name. 

Though their pad is 7,000 miles from the prince's native Brunei, the UK is where the princess was born, and where she earned a degree in Modern Languages & European Studies at the University of Bath.

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