Heir to Brunei fortune marries in lavish ceremony

A PRINCE who is heir to the fabulous fortune of the oil-rich sultanate of Brunei married a 17-year-old half-Swiss commoner yesterday in Asia’s wedding of the year, attended by royalty and dignitaries from around the world.

Crown Prince Al-Muhtadee Billah Bolkiah, aged 30, son of Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah the absolute and fabulously wealthy ruler of 350,000 subjects wed Sarah Salleh before 2,000 people in a traditional Malay Muslim ceremony at Istana Nurul Iman, the 1,788-room main palace.

The sultan escorted the Oxford-educated prince wearing a gold crown and a kris dagger tucked into his sash to a golden chair on the dais. He was joined by his bride, who emerged from a stateroom more than an hour behind schedule.

The prince placed a hand on Sarah's diamond tiara as Muslim marriage prayers were recited for the centuries-old ceremony. She stood radiant in an embroidered blue dress and veil and clasped a gold-and-diamond bouquet. They then descended from the dais and kissed the sultan for his blessing.

The couple embarkedin an open gold-coloured Rolls-Royce stretch limousine for a five-mile parade across the capital Bandar Seri Begawan, accompanied by 103 limousines and vehicles carrying family members as a marching band played.

But a tropical downpour soaked the couple, despite footmen walking alongside their vehicle with umbrellas. Thousands of people, many who had lined the streets since daybreak, scurried for cover after catching a glimpse of the motorcade.

"I'm excited to come out and see this, because he will be my new king," said retired Abdul Malik Ali. "He seems smart and sophisticated, even though I've never heard him or seen him before."

Abdul Malik estimated that the festivities cost more than the current sultan's marriage three decades ago.

Earlier, a 21-gun salute sounded as Japan's Crown Prince Naruhito, Bahrain's King Hamad, the Duke of Gloucester and Prince

Bandar of Saudi Arabia arrived and took their seats on gold-trimmed chairs in the chandelier-lined main hall at the palace.

Other guests include presidents Megawati Sukarnoputri of Indonesia and Gloria Macapagal Arroyo of the Philippines and prime ministers Abdullah Ahmad Badawi of Malaysia and Lee Hsien Loong of Singapore.

The crown prince will be the 30th sultan in a line stretching back 600 years.

His bride, whose father is a manager at the public works department, is "known among her teachers and friends for her grace, intelligence and positive attitude", according to the official wedding booklet.

The bride's mother, the former Suzanne Aeby from a village outside Zurich, wore a blue veil and a traditional Malay dress at the ceremony.

The wedding was one of Asia's biggest since Crown Prince Naruhito of Japan married diplomat Masako Owada in 1993. Naruhito came to Brunei, but Masako remained in Japan. The Imperial Household Agency said in July that she had experienced bouts of depression and anxiety and was undergoing treatment.

The Brunei ruling family's extravagance is legendary, and the sultan was the world's richest man before the advent of the hi-tech era and a series of financial blunders blamed on his younger brother, Prince Jefri, in the 1990s, that resulted in an estimated €23 billion in losses.

Jefri, now living in Europe, was not present at the ceremony. It was unclear whether he was invited.