Sultan of Brunei has divorced his third wife - but remains married to the firstBy MAIL FOREIGN SERVICE
16 June 2010
Brunei's sultan announced today he is divorcing his Malaysian wife after five years of marriage.
Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah, the 63-year-old absolute monarch of this tiny, oil-rich country on Borneo island, married Azrinaz Mazhar Hakim, a former Malaysian TV news journalist, in 2005.
Azrinaz, 30, gave birth to the sultan's 11th child, a baby boy, less than a year after their wedding and a daughter in 2008.
Divorced: The Sultan of Brunei Hassanal Bolkiah said his former wife Azrinaz Mazhar Hakim has had her royal titles revoked
Brunei's palace announced on state television and radio today that the sultan has divorced Azrinaz and revoked all her royal titles.
No other details were made available, but rumours of a royal breakup had been circulating in Brunei.
This is the second divorce for the sultan, whose private fortune has been estimated to total at least $20 billion in recent years.
Double wife: The Sultan with his first wife Anak Saleha, centre, and former wife Mariam Abdul Aziz
He broke up with former airline stewardess Mariam Abdul Aziz, who is of Bruneian, Japanese and Scottish ancestry, in February 2003 after 21 years of marriage.
He remains married to his first wife, Anak Saleha, whom he wed in 1967. Their son, Crown Prince Al-Muhtadee Billah Bolkiah, is heir to the throne.
The sultan ascended to the throne on October 5, 1967, after his father abdicated.
The sultan's wealth is legendary. While playing polo with Britain's Prince Charles, he once had his polo shoes delivered - by helicopter - to the palace field.
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