A royal who was dubbed Asia's “most eligible bachelor” for his movie-star looks has been officially taken off the market.
Prince Mateen of Brunei (Abdul Mateen Ibni Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah), 32, is married to Anisha Rozna (Yan Amat Mulia Pengiran Anak Isteri), an ordinary person who runs a fashion brand and a travel agency. Anisha Rozna) is 29 years old.
Prince Mateen, Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah's 10th child, is a British-trained soldier and helicopter pilot in the Brunei Armed Forces. He has also represented his country in polo.
The prince is regularly called “hot” and “sexy” by his legion of fans online.
Prince Mateen's looks and chiseled body have made him a social media sensation on Instagram, where he has more than 2.6 million followers.
His new wife is an entrepreneur who founded fashion label Silk Collective and travel agency Authentirary.
The two have known each other for years, and the prince has shared adorable photos of them together as children.
The royal wedding was held over 10 days with approximately 5,000 guests, including the royal families of Jordan and Saudi Arabia, Indonesian President Joko Widodo, and Philippine President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos.
The two officially became husband and wife on Wednesday in an Islamic ceremony attended only by male guests.
The newlyweds then joined the wedding procession in an open-top Rolls-Royce and drove through the capital waving to onlookers. For days their portraits hung on street arches and building facades.
Many of the sultan's subjects lined the streets under the scorching sun to catch a glimpse of the couple while being offered free ice cream.
“I was happy to see Prince Mateen marry the beautiful Anisha,'' said 91-year-old Hajah Amina Abd Morshidi, who has seen five royal weddings in her life.
Schoolteacher Noriha Mohammad Din, 37, said it was a “once in a lifetime moment”.
“I've been watching Prince Mateen since he was little,” she said. “We're so happy for him. This is one way we can show our appreciation to the Royal Family.”
Prince Mateen's father is Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah, a billionaire with an estimated net worth of A$44 billion (US$30 billion). He is the world's longest-reigning monarch and was once the richest man on the planet.
His extreme wealth is derived almost entirely from Brunei's vast oil and gas reserves.
Prince Mateen, Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah's 10th child and fourth son, is unlikely to ascend to the throne of the oil-rich nation on the northern tip of Borneo.
But Prince Mateen's rippling six-pack and adventurous spirit, captured in select photos and videos on Instagram, have made him a public relations agent for a royal family that has been plagued by scandal and global condemnation over the years. .
“He is a breath of fresh air,” said Amira Shahira Awang Ahmad, 20, a Bruneian snack shop worker.
A pre-wedding photo of Mateen and fiancé Jan Mulia Anisya Rozna posted on Instagram on December 31st shows Mateen wearing an open-necked white shirt underneath a dark double-breasted blazer. She wore a cream-colored pantsuit and was not wearing a hijab. .
The post attracted more than 11,000 comments, with some obsessed followers lamenting that 2024 would start with a “heartbreak”. This does not refer to the prince, but to themselves.
The photo appeared to be part of an effort to polish the conservative country's more modern image and make the royal family relevant to a younger generation of Bruneians raised on social media.
“Prince Mateen is someone I would describe as an important youth change agent in Bruneian society,” said Mustafa Izuddin, visiting professor of international relations at the Islamic University of Indonesia.
“You can call him a cultural Instagrammer because he is good at connecting with young people,” he told AFP.
“The current generation has different interests, values and preferences.”
The ceremony received muted media coverage in Australia, which focused on Australian-born Mary Donaldson's overnight ascension to the Danish throne as Queen of Denmark alongside Frederick X.
However, Prince Abdul Mateen's wedding was a major event in Southeast Asia.
capture the heart
After more than 50 years on the throne, the 77-year-old sultan needs to “renew the social contract” between himself and his 450,000 subjects, Izuddin said.
Absolute monarchies have suffered a tarnished reputation in recent decades. There was a bitter feud between the sultan and his playboy brother Prince Jefri Bolkiah over allegations of embezzling billions of dollars during Jefri's time as finance minister in the 1990s.
The country also faced a global backlash in 2019 when Sharia law was added to its criminal code, allowing death by stoning and mutilation for certain crimes.
However, the code has not been actively enforced following protests from celebrities, the United Nations, and rights activists.
Prince Mateen often wears Western-style suits and accompanies his father on official overseas visits, and appears to be at the forefront of winning the hearts of young people.
His popularity exploded on Instagram, where he posted pictures of himself playing polo, boxing in the ring, dabbling in photography and posing in military uniform.
One video shows the prince flying in an F/A 18 Super Hornet fighter jet.
With over 250,000 likes, top gun Starring Tom Cruise.
Other photos of Mateen's chiseled torso have racked up more than 500,000 likes and countless heart and lovesick emojis.
“Hello, James Bond 007!” one fan commented on a photo of Prince Mateen walking naked on a beach with jet skis and speedboats in the background.
Nazatul Izati Saifulrizal, a 19-year-old university student, proudly showed AFP a selfie she took with the prince and described him as down-to-earth.
“He asked me about my studies… He asked about my family background,” she said, adding that she was “touched” by the gesture.
— AFP News
