BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN, June 5 — Brunei’s Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah has named one of his youngest sons as foreign minister in a major Cabinet reshuffle — largely seen as a move to prepare for the next generation of leaders in the oil-rich kingdom.
As the 10th child and fourth son of the sultan, Prince Abdsul Mateen is down the line of succession, but his matinee idol looks have earned him more than three million followers on Instagram, providing a modern face to the royal family.
Another younger son, Prince Abdul Malik, was also appointed to the Cabinet in the changes announced by the 79-year-old ruler, who has had a number of health issues recently including knee replacement surgery in January and has made fewer public appearances this year.
Last year, he was admitted to hospital due to extreme fatigue during an ASEAN summit in the Malaysian capital Kuala Lumpur.
The sultan’s eldest son, Crown Prince Prince Al-Muhtadee Billah, 52, is the next in line to succeed his father, the world’s longest-ruling living monarch and once the richest man on the planet due to Brunei’s oil and gas riches.
The crown prince, who has two sons in the line of succession, remained as senior minister at the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO).
Sultan Hassanal said in the televised announcement also posted on the government’s official website, that he would continue to hold the key roles of prime minister, defence minister and finance minister.
The recent appointments bring four royals in the Cabinet in the Southeast Asian absolute monarchy.
Prince Abdul Malik, 42, the sultan’s second eldest son and the fourth in line to succession, takes on his first Cabinet role as a minister in the Prime Minister’s Office.
He holds an education degree from a local university.
In appointing his younger sons, the sultan said he took “into account their inclinations and early exposure in the government’s administrative system”.
Prince Abdul Mateen is a polo-loving British-trained military officer in Brunei’s armed forces and a helicopter pilot. He often accompanies his father on official trips abroad, including diplomatic summits.
He will continue his career in the military while serving as foreign minister, the sultan said.
He married in January 2024 in a fairytale wedding in the Brunei capital Bandar Seri Begawan.
A sliver of land on the northern edge of Borneo island in Southeast Asia, Brunei was influenced by Buddhism and Hinduism before its rulers converted to Islam in the 14th century.
It fell under British rule in the 19th century and gained independence in 1984. — AFP
