With a fleet consisting of over 7,000 luxury sports cars, the Sultan of Brunei might be the richest monarch you have never heard of.
Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah’s personal worth is £23 billion, making him richer than any individual monarch in the Gulf or Europe.
He has ruled the tiny kingdom on the island of Borneo since 1968, when his father abdicated, but he is no ordinary monarch.
He is also the king, Prime Minister and is said to hold multiple high-ranking positions in defence, finance, and external affairs.
But the sultan is perhaps most well-known for his decadence. His haircuts cost upwards of $15,000 due to his insistence on flying his barber first class from London each time.
The tiny state of Brunei has one of the world’s highest living standards, powered by significant oil and gas reserves lying beneath the nation. The country has been a British protectorate since 1888 and was the only territory not to seek independence in what is now known as Malaysia.
The relationship extends to this day. The sultan trained at the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst before assuming the throne, and the nation has a Battalion of Nepalese soldiers from the British Army’s Royal Regiment of Gurkhas permanently stationed in the country.
Despite a close diplomatic relationship with the UK, the country promotes a strict interpretation of Islam, in contrast to the extravagance of the sultan and his 12 children’s lives.
In 2014, Brunei became the first East Asian country to adopt strict Islamic Sharia law, which allows punishment such as stoning for adultery and amputation for theft, and in 2019, it fully implemented a law prescribing death by stoning for adultery and gay sex in certain circumstances.
The extravagant lifestyle enjoyed by the sultan and his children is beyond most people’s comprehension.
Birthdays are a serious cause for celebration for the sultan, who once paid Michael Jackson £14 million to perform at his party. The event lasted for two weeks and was attended by the rich and royal from across the globe.
The sultan lives in the world’s largest residential palace, Istana Nurul Iman, which has 1,788 rooms and over 100 garages to house his vast fleet of luxury sports cars.
It is believed that Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah’s appetite for expensive vehicles is such that he owns over 500 Rolls Royces, and during the 1990s, his family was responsible for nearly half of all luxury car purchases worldwide.
When not driving, the sultan’s “flying palace” is on hand, consisting of a fleet of long—and short-range Boeing airliners for his personal use.
If not travelling at all, the sultan is able to amuse himself in his personal zoo, which includes 30 Bengal tigers and a range of exotic birds such as falcons, flamingos, and cockatoos, which, according to a GQ report, can ride miniature bicycles.
