BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN: As the royal wedding of Brunei's Crown Prince Muhtadee Billah and his 17-year-old bride Sarah Salleh inches closer, the whole of Brunei is gearing up to host the country's social event of the year.

With a guest list naming the who's who in the world of global politics and royalty, the September 9 wedding is set to be an affair filled with pomp, glitter and festivities around the country.

Thursday's event promises to be elaborate, yet steeped in age-old traditions of this Muslim nation located on Borneo island. Brunei's Crown Prince, who was born on February 17, 1974, is set to become the country's 30th King after being crowned the official successor to his father Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah in 1998.

The 30-year-old Crown Prince, who plays badminton, football and snooker, studied Brunei history, diplomatic practice, international law, politics, trade and finance, and Islamic studies at Oxford's Magdalen College from 1995 to 1997.

His 17-year-old bride, Sarah Salleh, is currently a student at a local university. The outgoing teenager lists rock climbing, sailing, scuba diving and going on four-wheel drive expeditions as her hobbies and fields of interests.

In accordance with Brunei royalty tradition, festivities began 14 days before the wedding on August 26, with the royal orchestra marking the start of a royal celebration.

Some of the top leaders expected to attend the wedding include Japan's Crown Prince Naruhito, leaders from fellow Southeast Asian countries including Indonesian President Megawati Sukarnoputri and Malaysian Prime Minister Abdullah Badawi, as well as top representatives from British royalty.

Organizers have said that some 200 media representatives from major news organizations and countries are also set to cover the event. The tiny but rich nation is heavily dependent on revenue from oil and gas, with the majority of Brunei's exports being natural gas and crude petroleum. -dpa