The small Southeast Asian nation of Brunei has for several years been home to one of the world’s most swoon-worthy royals and one of Asia’s “most eligible bachelors”—though Prince Abdul Mateen, who is still regularly described as “hot,” “sexy,” and variations thereof, has now given up the latter title.
The 32-year-old trained helicopter pilot and major in the Royal Brunei Air Force—known for winning sports medals in polo, hanging out with tigers, and amassing 2.5 million Instagram followers—is marrying his “commoner” (non-royal) fiancée, 29-year-old Anisha Rosnah Isa-Kalebic, in a part-traditional, part-grandiose 10-day royal nuptial festival this month that began on Jan. 7 and will end on Jan. 16.
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The solemnization ceremony, which officially legalizes the marriage before further days of celebration, took place on Thursday, Jan. 11, at the gold-domed Sultan Omar Ali Saifuddien Mosque. Only male guests—mostly ministers and government officials, and excluding even the bride—were allowed to attend the ceremony in the mosque.
Prince Mateen is the son of Brunei Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah, one of the world’s richest royals with an estimated net worth of nearly $28 billion—evidenced by his several jets, hundreds of Rolls Royces and Ferraris, and a palace with 1,700 rooms. Prince Mateen, sixth in line to the throne, is the Sultan’s fourth son and 10th child.
