Sultan of Brunei Strips Royal Titles From Daughter-in-Law Over Conduct That "Tarnished" the Monarchy
Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah of Brunei has issued a royal decree removing all royal titles from his daughter-in-law, Raabi'atul Adawiyyah, age 33, over conduct the palace said was unbecoming of a member of the royal family.
The Office of the Grand Chamberlain — the administrative arm of the Bruneian royal household — announced the decree on August 8, 2026. The revocation strips Raabi'atul of the title "Yang Amat Mulia Pengiran Anak Isteri," a formal honorific roughly translating to "Her Highness, Princess Consort." The decree stated that her actions had "tarnished the monarchy's good name" and demonstrated a lack of respect toward the Sultan himself (Town & Country; New Straits Times).
Raabi'atul is married to Prince Abdul Malik, the Sultan's second son and fourth in line to the Bruneian throne. The couple married in 2015 and have four children together. Their children will reportedly keep their royal titles. No divorce has been announced (Town & Country).
The decree does not specify what Raabi'atul did. The official language refers only to conduct "deemed unbecoming of a spouse of a member of the royal family."
Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah, who turned 80 in July, is the world's longest-reigning monarch, having sat on the throne since 1967. He has 12 children with three wives. Prince Abdul Malik is one of six children from the Sultan's first marriage to Queen Saleha, who remain married.
This is not the first time the Sultan has used title revocation as a tool of royal discipline. He previously stripped titles from his second and third wives after divorcing them. What sets this case apart is that no divorce is on the record. The decree targets a daughter-in-law, not a spouse of the Sultan, and leaves the marriage itself formally intact.
Brunei is an absolute monarchy on the island of Borneo in Southeast Asia, a nation of roughly 450,000 people whose royal family has ruled for more than six centuries under the world's oldest continuing hereditary line. The Sultan serves as both head of state and head of government, and title removal by royal decree carries the force of law.
For now, the children remain titled. The marriage remains official. What remains removed is the rank that came with being a princess of the Bruneian royal house — and the palace has said nothing further about why.
