The Sultan of Brunei's Birthday Banquet: HM The Queen of Brunei
Here's a brand-new country, a brand-new queen, and a Tiara Alert, all in one post!
This is Queen Saleha, wife of the über-rich Sultan of Brunei (that's him on the left). Every year, a big birthday banquet is thrown in the Sultan's honor -- this year was his 64th. Happy birthday, Your Maj!
Saleha is the Sultan's primary (and currently his only) wife -- he's been married to two other women during his marriage to Saleha, but both of those marriages have ended in divorce. Because she's the "first" wife, Saleha gets the title of queen -- and a whole passel of insanely decadent jewels. She's almost always dripping in them -- but she always wears her tiaras with her religious hijab headdress, as she's done here.
The jewel collection of the Brunei royals is so vast that not much is known about each individual piece, in the way that the provenance of gems is tracked historically through many European royal families. But what we can say about this one is that it is lousy with diamonds and rubies, and it is tall -- Queen Mary or Queen Alexandra style!
(Thanks to lovely reader Eliza for sending in info about this event!)
Photo Credits: TRF
Tags: tiara
It's about time we had a Alexandra/Mary type consort. Not keen on the bubblegum pink, but those jewels are down right fabulous.
BLING! Crikey, this woman's not afraid of a diamond is she. I love how the traditional costume is meant to conserve modesty, but decked out in this lot, anything but!
Have to say, I'm not mad on the tiara over the pink hijab, but I guess there's little choice. And yes Sir Tom, that pink is a bit bubbegum for my taste.
wonder how she has the massive tiara fastened to her hijab? in addition to all the fab jewellery, that is some intense embroidery on her baju kurung...
Get a load of the ruby hanging around her neck.
Holy crap look at that ruby around her neck!!!! Love the tiara, but like Sir Tom and James I'm not loving the pink. I've always thought that red and pink made you stink?
I've just been reading a biog of Graff and he practically made his fortune by selling to the Sultan.
It is a very pink pink and the lace is gorgeous but does hide the jewelry, but my god look at the rocks! That tiara is fabulous. And the hijab at least settles the issue of whether to up-do or not.
You know, if I were to wear a tiara with my hijab, I think I'd want the tiara to be a wide, flat Alice band half-moon of jewels to wear on my head over the scarf. Of course, I'm not royalty, and don't hijab on an everyday basis, so take it for what it's worth.