By Chris Jewers and Harry Howard, History Correspondent For Mailonline
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The Sultan of Brunei Hassanal Bolkiah became the world’s longest serving monarch yesterday with the passing of Britain’s Queen Elizabeth II.
Bolkiah, who took the throne in 1967, has reigned for 54 years and 339 days (as of Friday) – more than four years longer than Margrethe II of Denmark, now the second-longest reigning monarch.
Having come to the throne after her father King George VI’s death in February 1952, the Queen ruled for 70 years and 214 days.
She was the second longest-serving monarch in the world, behind only France’s Louis XVI, who ruled for 72 years and 110 days between May 14, 1643 and September 1, 1715.
Three months ago, she overtook Thailand’s King Rama IX, who ruled for 70 years and 126 days between from June 1946 until his death in October 2016.
But while The Queen has ensured that she has kept her distance from politics in the United Kingdom, the opposite can be said of Bolkiah in his home country.
In addition to being the country’s Sultan and absolute monarch, 76-year-old Hassanal Bolkiah ibni Omar Ali Saifuddien III has also been the Prime Minister of Brunei since the country gained independence from the United Kingdom in 1984.
His reign has also been mired in controversy. He has faced criticism of his country’s human rights record, and questions have been raised over business dealings.
Despite this, Bolkiah has appeared to have enjoyed a close relationship with The Queen. Like his father before him, he was knighted by Her Majesty, and the pair met on several occasions during their reigns – in both London and Bandar Seri Begawan.
The Sultan of Brunei Darussalam Hassanal Bolkiah (pictured) became the world’s longest serving monarch yesterday with the passing of Britain’s Queen Elizabeth II
Unlike the United Kingdom’s head of state, Bolkiah enjoys absolute power in Brunei. Under the country’s 1959 constitution, the head has full executive authority – including emergency powers.
In 2006, he was reported to have amended the country’s constitution to make himself infallible under the law.
As Prime Minister, he is also the head of government – and currently holds the positions of Minister of Defence, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Minister of Finance. He also controls the country’s police force.
To top it all off, he is also Head of Religion, and Islam is the official religion of the country. In 2014, he advocated for the adoption of Islamic sharia penalties – that includes death by stoning, the severing of limbs and flogging for some crimes.
Such crimes include abortions, adultery and same-sex sexual acts.
His push in 2014 raised alarm bells among human rights advocates, and celebrities – including George Clooney and Elton John – called to boycott hotels associated with the sultan, notably the Dorchester Collection that has hotels in the US and Europe.
Educational institution with connections to the Sultan, such as Oxford and King’s College London, were called upon to strip him of honorary degrees.
As Prime Minister, the Sultan has spear-headed anti-LGBT legislation. As of April 2019, homosexuality and adultery is punishable by death by stoning.
The rule outlawed gay sex, which had to be independently witnessed in order to secure a conviction.
Bolkiah said at the time that the law was part of a drive for ‘stronger’ Islamic teachings in his tiny Australasian nation, located on the island of Borneo.
Pictured: Queen Elizabeth II, and Haji Hassanal Bolkiah, The Sultan of Brunei, attend a Banquet, during The State visit of Queen Elizabeth ii, and Prince Philip, The Duke of Edinburgh to Brunei, at The Istana Nurul Iman, in Brunei on September 18, 1998 in Brunei
On Thursday, The Sultan of Brunei Darussalam Hassanal Bolkiah became the world’s longest serving monarch. Here are the top five who are still alive:
1. Hassanal Bolkiah, Brunei
2. Margrethe II, Denmark
3. Sultan bin Mohamed Al-Qassimi III, Sharjah (United Arab Emirates)
4. Carl XVI Gustaf, Sweden
5. Hamad bin Mohammed Al Sharqi, Fujairah (United Arab Emirates)
But following international outcry, Bolkiah ruled that a moratorium on the death penalty in Brunei should be extended to the new law.
It means that, while the penalty for gay sex is still officially death by stoning, the Sultan has agreed not to use it. Brunei has not hosted a public execution since 1957.
Issues surrounding human rights in the country are not the only controversies the Sultan has faced during his reign.
In 1997, his younger brother Jefri Bolkiah, Prince of Brunei, was sued by a woman who claimed she was held as a ‘virtual prisoner’, drugged and sexually abused.
Hassanal also had open disagreements with Jefri over business dealings, when in July 1998 a network of companies and investment vehicles he owned under the name ‘Amedeo’ collapsed underneath $10billion of debt.
The Prince was accused of misappropriating state funds, and after years of legal battles – including in Britain – he will be arrested if he ever sets foot in the UK.
Thanks to Brunei’s oil reserves, Bolkiah and the royal family are known to be extremely wealthy. When the country gained independence in 1984, it had one of the highest per-capita incomes of any nation – almost $50,000 a year.
In 2008, he was believed to be worth around $20billion, and has often displayed his exorbitant wealth. He is reported to have purchased his own Boeing 747 aircraft for $400million, which is adorned with luxuries such as a golden wash baisin.
He also owns a fleet of 7,000 luxury cars – which includes 600 Rolls Royce cars – and reportedly spends $20,000 on a single haircut.
Prince Jefri is believed to have purchased the collection – worth billions of dollars – for himself, which landed the royal family in trouble.
The Sultan sued Jefri over his spending sprees.
Queen Elizabeth II meets the Sultan of Brunei during a private audience at Buckingham Palace on December 14, 2017 in London
As for his personal life, Bolkiah was born July 15, 1946. He went to high school in Juala Lumbar, and later attended the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst in the United Kingdom, graduating in 1967.
His father Omar Ali Saifuddien III abdicated from the throne in 1967, at which point Bolkiah acceded on October 5 that year.
His first wife is also his first cousin – Princess Pengiran Anak Saleha, who later became the Raja Isteri (meaning Queen).
He took a second wife – a a former flight attendant for the national carrier, Royal Brunei Airlines – but he divorced her in 2003, stripping her of all royal titles.
Her place as second wife was taken in 2005 by a former Malaysian television presenter, Azrinaz Mazhar Hakim, who is 33 years younger than the sultan. They divorced in 2010, and he also stripped her of all titles.
In October 2020, party-loving Prince Azim – the Sultan’s sixth child and fourth in line to the throne – died in the capital of Bandar Seri Begawan.
Published by Associated Newspapers Ltd
Part of the Daily Mail, The Mail on Sunday & Metro Media Group