1 min reads
Hassanal Bolkiah ibni Omar Ali Saifuddien III ( born 15 July 1946) is the 29th and current Sultan and Yang di-Pertuan of Brunei since 1967 and the Prime Minister of Brunei since independence from the United Kingdom in 1984. He is one of the last absolute monarchs in the world. The eldest son of Sultan Omar Ali Saifuddien III and Raja Isteri (Queen) Pengiran Anak Damit, he succeeded to the throne as the sultan of Brunei following the abdication of his father on 5 October 1967.
The sultan has been ranked among the wealthiest individuals in the world. In 2008, Forbes estimated the sultan’s total peak net worth at US$20 billion. After Queen Elizabeth II, the sultan is the world’s second-longest reigning current monarch.