The son of
the Sultan of Brunei, one of the world's richest men, has wed bride
Dayangku Raabi'atul 'Adawiyyah Pengiran Haji Bolkiah in a spectacular
ceremony at the monarch's 1,788-room palace in Brunei's capital, Bandar
Seri Begawan.
Prince
Abdul Malik, 31, exchanged vows with Dayangku Raabi'atul 'Adawiyyah
Pengiran Haji Bolkiah, 22, in front of crowds of friends and family,
nobility and foreign dignitaries amid mind-boggling splendour.
The
newlyweds' matching gold outfits were both embellished with diamonds,
while blushing bride Raabi'atul carried a bouquet made of dazzling gems,
rather than flowers.
The Prince
is the youngest child of the Sultan, Hassanal Bolkiah, and his wife,
Queen Saleha, and is second in the line of succession to become the next
Sultan of Brunei.
Today's
'bersanding' or enthronement ceremony is usually the highlight of the
wedding festivities, and saw the bride and groom seated next to each
other, dressed in opulent traditional attire on gilded thrones in the
Throne Chamber of the Istana Nural Iman palace.
According to The Brunei Times,
also in attendance were seven Malaysian state rulers and the governor
of Saudi Arabia, and this is the first time that the couple have
appeared together since the festivities started on 5 April.
The couple wore matching traditional Malay dress, with the bride's veil constructed of swathes of intricate lace.
The
22-year-old bride, who worked as a systems data analyst and IT
instructor, sported a breathtaking diamond tiara studded with six
teardrop-shaped emeralds.
A
diamond necklace with a central pendant of three emeralds the size of
grapes, glittered around her neck, while a matching brooch of two
egg-shaped emeralds dangled from a diamond setting.
Sultan Of Brunei
Dayangku
Raabi'atul 'Adawiyyah Pengiran Haji Bolkiah also toted Christian
Louboutin heels encrusted Swarovski crystals, with the distinctive red
sole, as well as a chunky gold anklet.
The
newlyweds sat side by side praying during a section of the ceremony,
and at one point, the Sultan was seen caressing the arms of his son's
hand while the blessing of his new wife occurred.
The
Sultan has 12 children - five sons and seven daughters - from three
different marriages. Prince Abdul Malik is the sixth child of the Sultan
and his current wife, Queen Saleha, who wed in 1965.
Part of the ceremony also saw royal guards entering the hall carrying ceremonial shields and spears.
After the ceremony, there is expected to be a luxurious banquet in the palace's hall, which can accommodate up to 5,000 guests.
The wedding is taking place over a period of 11 days, and started on Sunday, 5 April, with the royal marriage proposal ceremony.
During
this time, a representative of the groom approached the bride's family
with the groom's intention of seeking the bride's hand in marriage.
This
signalled the beginning of the ceremonial events, and has been followed
by a 'powdering' ceremony - when members of the families from both
sides anoint the couple with powder and scented oil on the palms of
their hand - and a gifting ceremony.
Ragad Kurdi Taib, wife of Sarawak's former Chief Minister Abdul Taib
Mahmud and Saudi Arabia's Prince Saud bin Abdul Mohsen
bin Abdul Aziz
The celebration will end on 15 April, with a ceremony of thanksgiving prayers.
The location of the wedding, the dazzling Istana Nural Iman palace is situated in Brunei's capital, Bandar Seri Begawan.
It
is considered the largest residential palace in the world, with 1,788
rooms, five grand swimming pools, 257 bathrooms, and a 110-car garage.
Later
Brunei's newlywed royal couple, changed into more opulent evening
outfits for the wedding banquet. Prince Abdul swapped his gold wedding
suit for ceremonial military dress, embellished with diamond epaulettes
and collar.
The
newest member of the royal family changed into a beaded purple
floor-length gown embroidered with silver thread for the wedding
banquet.
She added a
diaphanous veil, which was topped with another stunning diamond tiara,
set with rubies and a scarlet gem at its centre the size of a 20-pence
piece.
A
matching necklace featuring a twisted diamond and ruby rope design
glittered with tens of rubies, while a huge diamond and ruby brooch was
party hidden by her veil.
On
her right hand was a large diamond ring in a platinum setting. She also
changed her make-up, sporting red lipstick rather than the bridal pink
at today's ceremony.
Brunei is situated in the South East of Asia, on the north coast of Borneo, and is a large supplier of oil and gas.
The sovereign state is located on a small section of the coast of the island - the rest occupied by Malaysia and Indonesia.
The
sultanate is a Malay Muslim absolute monarchy and dates back to the
15th century, having gained independence from the United Kingdom in
1984.
Source: #UK Daily Mail
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