Meet ‘Sporty Princess’ Fadzilah of Brunei – or ‘Fad’ to the national netball team – the daughter of Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah who just kicked off her 10-day wedding celebration

Jan 18 , 2022

Princess Fadzilah, the Brunei royal with a “heart of gold”. Photo: @borneo_bulletin/Twitter

Her late brother Prince Azim had Hollywood friends while her younger brother Prince Mateen is an Instagram influencer – but Fadzilah prefers to keep a low profile

The ‘sporty princess’ with ‘a heart of gold’ is the daughter of the Sultan of Brunei, the longest-reigning monarch after Queen Elizabeth with a US$28 billion estimated net worth

Unlike her siblings (her late brother Prince Azim is a familiar name among Hollywood’s elite and her hunky heartthrob younger brother Prince Mateen is Instagram-famous for obvious reasons), Princess Fadzilah Lubabul Bolkiah – or, simply, Princess Fadzilah – is rather private and seems to keep to herself.

Here’s what we know about the royal, who is the daughter of Brunei’s Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah from his second marriage, and who is getting married this month in a 10-day ceremony that kicked off on January 16.

Princess Fadzilah hails from one of the world’s wealthiest royal families – if not the wealthiest

Princess Fadzilah with her family. Photo: @tmski/Instagram

Born on August 23, 1985, the 36-year-old Princess Fadzilah is the second youngest daughter of Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah and Puan Hajah Mariam Hj Abdul Aziz. Her father, the Sultan of Brunei who was crowned in 1967, is the second-longest reigning monarch in the world (after Queen Elizabeth) and is also one of the wealthiest, having topped the list of richest royals for years with an estimated net worth of US$28 billion.

Princess Fadzilah and her surviving siblings. Photo: @mediapermata/Instagram

Her siblings are the late Prince Azim, the sultan’s second-born prince, who passed away in October 2020 from an autoimmune disease and is a known name among the Hollywood set; Prince Mateen, one of the more popular yet down-to-earth royals who’s gained attention on Instagram from his good looks and good manners; and Princess Azemah, an accomplished polo player. While they have other siblings from the Sultan’s first wife and former third one, the four are said to be the more famous of the brood.

She has an MBA and finished school abroad

Princess Fadzilah with her father, the Sultan of Brunei, at her graduation ceremony. Photo: kingston.ac.uk

In 2008, at age 22, Princess Fadzilah earned her degree in international studies from Kingston University. On the school website, the princess is quoted saying how much she enjoyed her time in school and that she was contemplating postgraduate studies.

Princess Fadzilah is camera-shy but with a ready smile. Photo: @CherouatAnis/Twitter

In 2015, the princess earned her master’s degree in business administration from the Hult International Business School, according to a Brunei News Gazette report. The Sultan and Princess Fadzilah’s siblings attended the ceremony held at the Kongresszentrum in Davos, Switzerland, to express their support.