Friday, Sep 10, 2004
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GLITTER AND GRANDEUR: Brunei's Crown Prince Al-Muhtadee Billah Bolkiah and his bride Sarah Salleh, a commoner, recite a prayer during their wedding ceremony at Istana Nurul Iman Palace in Bandar Seri Begawan, Brunei, on Thursday. The traditional ceremony was attended by Asian leaders and Arab royalty. — AP
BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN (BRUNEI), SEPT. 9. The future King of the oil-rich sultanate of Brunei married a half-Swiss, teenage commoner on Thursday, as his famously extravagant father put the Southeast Asian country on show for dignitaries and royalty from around the world. Crown Prince Al-Muhtadee Billah Bolkiah (30), son of Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah — the fabulously wealthy ruler of 350,000 subjects — married Sarah Salleh (17), before 2,000 people in a traditional Malay Muslim ceremony at Brunei's giant main palace. The ceremony topped two weeks of official celebrations — which included concerts, cultural shows and karaoke competitions — taking place in one of Asia's smallest but richest countries, which shares Borneo island with Malaysia and Indonesia. On Friday, the Sultan will host a banquet for around 5,000 guests that will be followed by a grand fireworks display spread over three days.
Grandest wedding
In Asia's grandest wedding of the year, the Sultan escorted the Prince — wearing a gold crown and a kris dagger tucked into his sash — to a golden chair on a dais in the cavernous main hall of his 1,788-room palace. Prince Billah was joined there by his bride, who emerged from a stateroom more than an hour behind schedule, wearing an embroidered blue costume and diamond tiara and clutching a gold-and-diamond bouquet. The Prince placed a hand on Sarah's tiara before Muslim prayers were recited for the centuries-old ceremony. They then descended from the dais and kissed the Sultan for his blessing. The couple embarked from the palace in an open gold-coloured Rolls-Royce stretch limousine for an 8-km parade across the capital, accompanied by 103 limousines and vehicles carrying family members as a marching band played. The marriage ceremony was packed with royalty and dignitaries, including the Japanese Crown Prince Naruhito, the Duke of Gloucester Prince Richard and the Prince Bandar of Saudi Arabia. Other guests included Presidents Megawati Sukarnoputri of Indonesia and Gloria Macapagal Arroyo of the Philippines, and the Prime Minister of Singapore, Lee Hsien Loong. — AP
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