Hassanal Bolkiah I of Brunei

Hassanal Bolkiah ibni Omar Ali Saifuddien III (Jawi: ; born 15 July 1946) is Sultan of Brunei since 1967 and the prime minister of Brunei since independence from the United Kingdom in 1984. He is one of the few absolute monarchs in the world. The eldest son of Sultan Omar Ali Saifuddien III and Raja Isteri Pengiran Anak Damit, he is the 29th sultan to ascend to the Bruneian throne, following the abdication of his father in 1967. The sultan has been ranked among the wealthiest individuals in the world. As of 2023, Hassanal Bolkiah is said to have a net worth of $30 billion. He is the world's longest-reigning current monarch and the longest-serving current head of state. On 5 October 2017, Bolkiah celebrated his Golden Jubilee to mark the 50th year of his reign. Early life The sultan was born during the reign of his uncle, Sultan Ahmad Tajuddin on 15 July 1946, in Istana Darussalam, Brunei Town (now called Bandar Seri Begawan) as Pengiran Muda Mahkota (Crown Prince) Hassanal Bolkiah. His father, the Bendahara at that time was the Heir presumptive of Brunei which put Hassanal Bolkiah second in line to the Throne at the time of his birth. The sultan received high school education at Victoria Institution in Kuala Lumpur, after which he attended the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst in the United Kingdom, graduating in 1967. Notably, the 2nd Gurkha Rifles were dispatched to Brunei in 1962, the year the Brunei Revolt began. Digby Willoughby and a small squad of Gurkha troops helped to rescue his father and him from their palace, and his father was eternally grateful for Willoughby's actions on that day.