The wealth of Brunei, a country on the northwest coast of the island of Borneo, is based on oil. Since 1967, this constitutional monarchy has been headed by Hassanal Bolkiah Mu’izzaddin Waddaulah.
The Sultan of Brunei, “weighing” thirty billion dollars, is an absolute ruler who unites the positions of head of state, prime minister and minister of internal affairs.
Although he passed one of the most rigid laws in the world, according to which theft is punished by cutting off the hand and alcohol consumption by flogging, he is much less strict with himself, according to insiders.
The second richest monarch in the world, after the Thailandruler, is known for extravagance. His “humble” home, the $2 billion Instana Nurul Iman Palace, is the largest royal residence in the world.
It has almost 2,000 rooms, 257 bathrooms encrusted with gold and diamond decorations, five swimming pools and a banquet hall that can accommodate around 5,000 guests. Even the sultan’s ponies live in a stable with built-in air conditioning.
A fan of “furious” racing cars has more than 1,000 cars in the fleet, “Lamborghini”, “Bentley”, “Ferrari”, “Aston Martin”, “Jaguar”, but the ruler prefers to sit behind the wheel of the “Rolls Royce Silver Spur”, gold encrusted limousine that hasdazzling flashy kitsch.
The Sultan’s fleet of aircraft is equally impressive, and the “Boeing 747” boasts a gigantic living room with a mahogany floor, a bedroom with crystal chandeliers and Persian rugs, and bathrooms with gold sinks.
He spends about thirty million dollars a year on the diamonds he gives to his loved ones, and the royal family adores jewelry from the Asprey jeweler so much that the sultan decided to buy the entire company.
Namely, he was married three times, and for each feast, he spenttens of millions of dollars. He sent a plane to pick up Whitney Houston just for his daughter Rashida’s wedding, and the sultan’s fiftieth birthday celebration lasted 14 days and its costwas 40 million dollars, Biznis Info reports.
E.Dz.
