How Brunei’s Prince Abdul Mateen, the most eligible bachelor in South East Asia, got married to a childhood friend.
Being married to a prince and being integrated into the royal family usually only happens in fairytales. However, Meghan Markle and Kate Middleton’s story gave hope to every commoner whose life-long dream is to marry a prince and become a princess. Markle and Middleton’s story is somehow replicated in Asia, as the Prince of Brunei married a commoner.
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About The Groom
Before diving into the grandeur of the wedding, let us first know who the bride and groom are. The groom of the Asian wedding of the century is Prince Abdul Mateen. He is the 10th child and fourth son of Brunei’s Prime Minister Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah. Moreover, according to Time Magazine, the 32-year-old prince is a trained helicopter pilot and Major in the Royal Brunei Air Force. Furthermore, the groom is a Brunei Polo National Team member.
His accolades earned him a lot of social media traction. The prince has 2.9 million followers on Instagram. He is also included in multiple lists of top-eligible bachelors in the world. In addition, his fans are always in awe of the prince’s dedication to the gym and boxing. He also owns a boxing studio and gym.
About The Bride
The lucky bride is Anisha Rosnah. The princess is the owner of a fashion brand that specializes in silk. According to Says, she is also a travel and tourism company co-owner. Furthermore, she is the granddaughter of the adviser to Brunei’s leader and the founding chairman of Royal Brunei Airlines, Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah. Notably, as per Grazia Magazine, the princess graduated from the University of Bath in England.
Multiple sources report that the bride and her brother, Danial Deen Isa-Kalebic, are childhood friends of the prince. The prince shared on Instagram a photo of him and his wife when they were toddlers.
To The Union!
The wedding festivities lasted for 10 days. The grandiose event started on January 7 and ended on January 16. BBC reported that the wedding had over 5,000 guests. Some of the guests invited were royalty from Saudi Arabia and Jordan and country leaders from co-ASEAN countries, Indonesia’s President Joko Widodo, and the leader of the Philippines, Ferdinand Marcos, Jr.
The bride and groom chose the royal family’s residence as the venue of the wedding proper. The Balai Persantapan in Istana Nurul Iman is the largest residential palace in the world, as per CNN. The palace has 1,788 rooms, 257 bathrooms, and air-conditioned stables for 200 polo ponies.
After the wedding ceremony, the newlywed couple went to the streets of Bandar Seri Begawan for a wedding procession. The prince looked dashing while wearing a traditional royal garment and Anisha looked ethereal with her custom Zuhair Murad dress.
Banner photo by German Larkin via Instagram @tmski