Inside Brunei royals' glittering 10-day wedding as Princess is stripped of titles for 'unbecoming' behaviour


The Sultan of Brunei has stripped his daughter-in-law, Pengiran Raabi'atul Adawiyyah, of her titles, citing 'unbecoming' behaviour


Royal couple in traditional golden attire walk with attendants in a ceremonial setting.© Alamy Stock Photo
Eleanor Dye
Eleanor DyeOnline Royal Correspondent
32 minutes ago
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Pengiran Raabi'atul Adawiyyah has been stripped of all her titles following a decree by her father-in-law, the Sultan of Brunei. 

The royal, who is married to Prince Abdul Malik, will no longer be known as a princess following allegations of "unbecoming behaviour" that have "tarnished the monarchy's good name", according to a statement. 

Typically, the Brunei royal family is very private, despite Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah's $16billion fortune making him one of the richest people in the world. 

The removal of titles has thrust them into the spotlight this week, but it's not the first time that they have made headlines all over the world.

A man and woman seated on a throne, surrounded by individuals in formal attire, during a ceremonial event.© Alamy Stock Photo
The Sultan of Brunei at the royal couple's wedding in 2015

Pengiran Raabi'atul Adawiyyah and Prince Abdul Malik's 10-day wedding ceremony held between 5 April and 16 April, 2015, was certainly one to remember and captured the world's attention.  

Here, HELLO! takes a look back at their impressive nuptials… 

Inside Prince Abdul Malik's impressive wedding to Pengiran

The Sultan of Brunei is one of the world's richest men, so his son's wedding in 2015 was fittingly splendid. 

Prince Abdul Malik is one of the Sultan's 12 children and his mother is Queen Saleha, the ruler's first wife. 

The nuptials took place in the largest residential palace in the world© Alamy Stock Photo
The nuptials took place in the largest residential palace in the world

The nuptials took place in the Istana Nural Iman palace in the capital Bandar Seri Begawan. The 1,788-room property is the largest residential palace in the world, which makes it larger than Vatican City. 

The incredible outfits on display at the Brunei royal wedding 

The newlyweds wore traditional Malay dress, consisting of gold outfits embellished with diamonds and dripping in jewels. 

Pengiran, who was 22 at the time and previously worked as an IT analyst, carried a bouquet made out of jewelled flowers, while her tiara was decorated with huge emeralds. 

Even her shoes, heels from Christian Louboutin, were decorated with crystals. 

The Sultan of Brunei attending his son's wedding© Alamy Stock Photo
The Sultan of Brunei attending his son's wedding

According to contemporary reports by the Brunei Times, seven Malaysian state rulers were in attendance. 

The ceremony was followed by a wedding banquet, with Pengiran donning a floor-length purple gown and veil, swapping her emeralds for a dazzling display of rubies. 

Since their wedding, the couple has welcomed four children, who will all keep their titles: Princess Muthee'ah, ten, Princess Fathiyyah, eight, Princess Khaalishah, six, and Princess Nabeelah, 16 months. 

Why has the Sultan stripped his daughter-in-law of her titles?

The exact reason why the Sultan chose to remove his daughter-in-law's titles is yet to be revealed.

The Office of the Grand Chamberlain wrote in a statement on 7 August that "the revocation was carried out following conduct by Pengiran Raabi'atul Adawiyyah that was deemed unbecoming of a spouse of a member of the royal family. Her actions were also found to have tarnished the monarchy's good name and demonstrated a lack of respect towards Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah". 

Brunei is a tiny nation on the island of Borneo in Southeast Asia. It is an absolute monarchy ruled by the sultan, meaning he holds autocratic power over the state, unconstrained by laws or an elected parliament. 

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