Gen. Sir Haji Hassanal Bolkiah Mu'izzaddin Waddaulah GCB GCMG born July 15, 1946, the 29th was the Sultan and Yang Di-Pertuan Brunei Darussalam sertan first Prime Minister of Brunei Darussalam. He was the eldest son of Omar Ali Saifuddien III, Sultan of Brunei to-28, and Pengiran Damit Children. He was born on July 15, 1946 in Brunei Town (now called Bandar Seri Begawan). He became crown prince in 1961 and the sultan on October 5, 1967, after his father abdicated voluntarily. His coronation was held on August 1, 1968. Like his father, he has a degree by Queen Elizabeth II of Great Britain, which Brunei was a protectorate until 1984.


Under the 1959 constitution of Brunei, Sultan is the head of state with full executive power, including emergency powers since 1962. On March 9, 2006, the Sultan of Brunei reportedly has changed the constitution to make himself perfectly under the laws of Brunei. Bolkiah also holds the portfolio of Prime Minister and Minister of Defence and Finance. As defense minister, he is also the Supreme Commander of Royal Brunei Armed Forces; Honorary General in the British armed forces and Indonesia and Honorary Admiral in the Royal Navy Fleet. He refers to himself as the Inspector General of Police (IGP) of the Royal Brunei Police Force.


He discussed the General Assembly of the United Nations on admission of Brunei Darussalam to the United Nations in September 1984. In 1991, he introduced a conservative ideology to Brunei called Melayu Islam have a king (MIB) (or Malay Islamic Monarchy), which presents the monarchy as the defender of the faith. He has recently favored the democratization of the Brunei government and declared himself Prime Minister and President. In 2004, the Legislative Council, which has been dissolved since 1962, was reopened.


Designated successor is his eldest son, Al-Muhtadee Billah. Sultan received high school education at the primary school Victoria Institution in Kuala Lumpur Malaysia, where he joined the Corps of Cadets (the band). After receiving a private education in Brunei, Sultan attended the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst in October 1967 but returned home to become the Crown Prince a few months before graduation. Although his personal extravagance, he has tried to share the country's oil wealth. In Brunei, mocking dubbed "Shellfare State", referring to the significant influence of the Shell Oil Company,, Brunei has a free education and health services. There is no personal or corporate tax in Brunei.


His official residence is the Istana Nurul Iman, with 3400 rooms, 290 bathrooms, and a floor area of ​​2,152,782 square feet (200,000 m²), undisputedly the second largest palace in the world after Beijing's Forbidden City (720 000 m²). The Palace is the official residence of the housing office of the Office of the Sultan and Yang DiPertuan, Grand Chamberlain's office, many departments such as the Palace of the protocol department, court and household finances and the office of Prime Minister Department. Some of the office of the Department of Defense and the Department


Finance is also functional as the Sultan there was the Prime Minister, Minister of Defense and the Minister of Finance. The Crown Prince, who is the Senior Minister, also works from an office in the Palace. Hyatt Borneo Management Services and HM Sultan airline also maintains offices there.


Sultan currently has one wife, the wife of King Children Pengiran Hajjah Saleha designated his first wife. The former wife of both, Pengiran Hajjah wife Mariam, is a former national airline stewardess, Royal Brunei Airlines (RBA) that he was divorced in 2003, stripping her of all her royal titles. In August 2005 his place was taken by former Malaysian TV3 presenter, Azrinaz Mazhar Hakim, who 33 years younger than the Sultan. They divorced in 2010. Prince Al-Muhtadee Billah the Crown Prince and heir to the Sultan, the eldest son of the Sultan and Raja Pengiran Children's wife Saleha, his first wife. In 2008, Hassanal Bolkiah has five sons and seven daughters by his three wives.

Sultan received honorary doctorates from the universities of Russia. He has also been awarded the title of Honorary Doctor of Laws from the University of Oxford, UK, and Honorary Doctor of Letters degree from the University of Aberdeen, Scotland. He received his Honorary Doctorate from Thailand's Chulalongkorn University. In 2003, he received an Honorary Doctorate in Humanities and Culture from the University of Gadjah Mada (UGM), Yogyakarta, Indonesia. On January 27, 2005, he was awarded an Honorary Doctorate of Law by the National University of Singapore. On 14 April 2011, he was conferred an Honorary Doctorate of Law at King's College London, scroll to an honorary doctorate was presented by Lord Duoro, chairman of the Council of King's College London. He was awarded with an honorary doctorate in humanities philoposhy and on 21 April 2011 from the University of Indonesia, one of the oldest universities in Asia that have been established 160 years ago.



Sultan holds honorary commission in the Royal Air Force of the United Kingdom as an Air Marshal. He is also an Honorary Admiral United Kingdom Royal Navy, a title given to him by Queen Elizabeth II when he took the salute at the parade passed out during the summer of 2001 at the Britannia Royal Naval College, Dartmouth, officer-training school in the British Royal Navy. He has a residence at Binfield English Manor in Berkshire.



In April 2008, he was made an honorary member of the Atbara Unit Special Operations Task Force Indonesia. He holds the rank of Honorary Colonel Pakistan Special Services Group (SSG), administered to him during his visit to the headquarters of the Pakistan Army SSG in Cherat. He has a red beret and wings of the paratrooper paratroopers Black Hawk, which was presented to him by the Indian Army during a state visit to India.