BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN (Brunei), June 10: Diamonds sparkled and cannons boomed on Sunday as a daughter of one of the world's longest-reigning monarchs, the Sultan of Brunei, wed a civil servant in a lavish traditional ceremony.
Thousands of people braved a blistering midday sun to greet the daughter of Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah and her smiling husband as they cruised through town in a gold Rolls-Royce after the wedding ceremony at the 1,700-room palace.
More than 2,000 guests, including Malaysian Deputy Prime Minister Najib Razak, witnessed the wedding of Princess Majeedah Nuurul, 31, and Pengiran Khairul Khalil, 32, beneath 12 crystal chandeliers in the throne room.
The princess, wearing a tiara and holding a small bouquet of diamond-studded flowers, sat beneath a gold-leaf canopy at the head of the hall. Khairul, escorted by the Sultan, crossed a yellow carpet and passed between four tall yellow candles to approach his bride. He placed his hands briefly on her forehead before the muffled boom of cannons sounded 17 times outside.
The ceremony was conducted largely in silence until the religious leader concluded with a prayer for the newlyweds, asking God to “close all doors of sin and evil” for them.Khairul received a royal title and is now known as “Yang Amat Mulia Pengiran Anak Khairul Khalil”, or “very noble”.
Majeedah sparkled from head to toe in an ankle-length dress in maroon and gold, the same colours sported by her husband, who also wore two gold sashes across his chest.
Sixteen guards wearing black, with ceremonial swords over their right shoulders and small shields in their left hands, lined up in the centre of the hall.
Brunei has not seen a celebration like this since 2004, when Crown Prince Al-Muhtadee Billah, the heir to the throne, married 17-year-old university student Sarah Salleh.
Hassanal, formerly rated as the world's richest man, will host a lavish banquet for the couple and guests on Monday night.
The princess is Hassanal's fourth child and works as a senior officer in the department of environment, parks and recreation.
She holds a master's degree in environmental development from King's College in London, according to the government's department of information.
“She's pretty,” said 30-year-old Masjalita, a street cleaner who momentarily stopped her work to watch the royal limousine, which passed slowly through the city to allow locals and foreigners the chance to wave and snap photographs.—AFP
