Royal extravagance: the controversial Sultan of Brunei

All-around ruler - Besides being prime minister, he's also the country's secretary of defense, treasurer, supreme commander of the armed forces, honorary general of the British and Indonesian armed forces, and honorary admiral of the royal navy. He also named himself the inspector general of Brunei's royal police force.

6 / 34 Fotos

Knighted - He was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II, Brunei having been a British protectorate until 1984.

7 / 34 Fotos

Polygamy - The Sultan is a polygamist and has been married (and divorced) several times. However, he's still married to Anak Hajah Saleha (center). They were married in 1967 and have six children together.

8 / 34 Fotos

Second wife - From 1982 to 2003 he was married to Mariam Abdul Aziz (pictured) as well. They have four children together.

9 / 34 Fotos

Third wife - In 2005 he married Malaysian journalist Azrinaz Mazhar Hakim, whom he divorced only five years later. They have two children together. She has since remarried.

10 / 34 Fotos

Children - All of the Sultan's children have royal titles. Pictured left is his youngest son, Prince Abdul Mateen, from his third marriage. Sitting next to him is Prince Abdul Malik, one of his sons from his first marriage.

11 / 34 Fotos

Fertile ground - Brunei is an Islamic country situated in Southeast Asia. It's rich in petrol and gas, its economy therefore heavily reliant on oil.

12 / 34 Fotos

Exports - Brunei is currently the world's fourth-largest exporter of liquefied natural gas, 90% of which is exported to Japan, their most important trading partner.

13 / 34 Fotos

No wood trading - Unlike its neighbors Malaysia and Indonesia, the Sultan has always been loath to get into the wood trading business. Three-quarters of the sultanate is covered in forest.

14 / 34 Fotos

Sharia law - In the '90s the Sultan committed to implementing some elements of Sharia law into the country's Penal Code, but then it kind of disappeared from the agenda. Until 2013.

15 / 34 Fotos

Calls for boycotts - The Sultan's decision unleashed a wave of calls to boycott his luxury hotels all around the world.

16 / 34 Fotos

Calls for boycotts - Many celebrities, including Anna Wintour, Richard Branson and Ellen Degeneres, were up in arms about the decision.

17 / 34 Fotos

Corporal punishment - However, it was in 2019 he integrated rules on corporal punishment from Sharia law into the Bruneian penal code for all of the country's Muslims. Thereby allowing death by stoning for gay sex and adultery, not to mention hand amputation after stealing. These changes were supposed to come into effect on April 3, 2019.

18 / 34 Fotos

For Muslims - Brunei is a majority Muslim country. 13% of the population is Buddhist and 10% is Christian. Christmas celebrations are allowed as long as they take place in the private space.

19 / 34 Fotos

Economic strategy? - Whether the implementation of Sharia law into the Penal Code is a way to attract more investment from the Muslim countries on the Arab Peninsula or if it stems from some personal religious conviction is the source of much speculation.

20 / 34 Fotos

Tradition and modernity - However, in spite of these seemingly archaic throwbacks, some of his policies have been surprisingly modern and progressive.

21 / 34 Fotos

Standard of living - In Brunei, hospitals and schools are free, taxes are virtually non-existent, and rented housing is subsidized. However, 20% of the Bruneian population still lives under the poverty line. Since his accession to the throne, the Sultan has made it a point to support education by founding the country's first university, the University of Brunei Darussalam, in 1985.

22 / 34 Fotos

Huge fortune - The Sultan of Brunei is one of the richest monarchs in the world.

23 / 34 Fotos

Second richest - Hassanal Bolkiah is actually the second-wealthiest monarch in the world, with an estimated fortune of US$20 billion.

24 / 34 Fotos

Estate - He also has a huge and luxurious estate.

25 / 34 Fotos

Istana Nurul Iman - He resides in the largest palace in the world (200,000 sq m or 215278 sq ft), the Istana Nurul Iman, estimated to be worth some US$1.4 billion.

26 / 34 Fotos

Spacious - The palace was designed by architect Philippin Leandro V. Locsin, and was completed in 1984. It holds 1,788 rooms, as well as a banquet hall big enough for 5,000 guests.

27 / 34 Fotos

Restricted access - The palace is open to the public only three days a year, during the holy month of Ramadan.

28 / 34 Fotos

Luxury hotels - He also owns many luxury hotels across the world. Additionally, he's also the owner of several luxury hotels in the Dorchester Collection, among them the famous Beverly Hills and Bel-Air Hotels.

29 / 34 Fotos

Boycotts are expensive - The celebrity endorsed boycott of the Bel-Air hotel cost him more than a million dollars.

30 / 34 Fotos

Car collection - He has a huge collection of about 5,000 cars.

31 / 34 Fotos

Car collection - He has 531 Mercedes-Benzes, 367 Ferraris, 362 Bentleys, 185 BMWs, 177 Jaguars, 160 Porsches, 130 Rolls-Royces, 20 Lamborghinis, 78 Aston Martins, 4 Bugattis, a whole slew of motorbikes and a Fiat 500 because... less is more?

32 / 34 Fotos

Private jets of gold - Well, not quite. He also owns several private jets, among which a Boeing 747 is decorated in Lalique crystals and solid gold.

33 / 34 Fotos

Stables -

The Sultan is an animal lover as well. He owns 200 horses, each one of them with its own air-conditioned stable.

34 / 34 Fotos

Royal extravagance: the controversial Sultan of Brunei

Who is this contentious leader?

29/07/20 | StarsInsider

LIFESTYLE Royalty

Since announcing Sharia-inspired strict new moral laws in early 2019, the Sultan of Brunei has appeared in the spotlight for all the wrong reasons. The absolute monarch, in power since 1967, decided to make homosexuality and adultery for the Muslims in his kingdom punishable by death.

The Sultan is one of the wealthiest people in the world, but who is the man behind this fabulous wealth, and indeed these draconian laws? Click on and find out more about his fortune, his family, and the Sultanate of Brunei.