2023 – 65th Birthday of the Sultan of Johor

On 22^nd November the Sultan of Johor celebrated his 65^th birthday. Born in 1958 Sultan Ibrahim ibni Almarhum Sultan Iskandaris of Johor is the son of the late Sultan Iskandar ibni Almarhum Sultan Ismail and his first wife Yang Amat Mulia Enche’ Puan Khalsom binti Abdullah (born Miss Josephine Ruby Trevorrow). His Majesty has ruled the Sultanate of Johor in the south of Malaysia since 2010 when he succeeded his father.

Photo from Wikipedia Commons

Married to Raja Zarith Sofiah binti Almarhum Sultan Idris Shah since 1982 the Royal Couple has five children; four sons and one daughter. A fifth son had also been born to them but he sadly passed away in 2015 at the tender age of 25. Both the eldest son and the daughter are already married. All the surviving children and grandchildren took part in the splendid celebration.

Great care had been taken in the planning of the celebration. Though the official birthday was moved forward to March to coincide with the date of His Majesty’s coronation (23^rd March) the actual day was also celebrated this year with a military review and a magnificent investiture ceremony. Both outside Istana Besar, one of the royal palaces in Johor, and inside all the necessary preparations had been made. A previous residence the Istana Besar is now only used for certain ceremonies and banquets by the Royal Family. Istana Bukit Serene is the official residence of the Sultan.

For several years the birthday of the Sultan has been a less glittering affair. Not that it has lacked in pomp and circumstance. But looking back on photos from these events the Royal ladies have either not been present, or when present they have chosen to not wear a lot of jewels. This has been a bit of a shame to the Royal watchers around the world as the collection of jewels in the Johor Royal Family collection is very interesting and varied. This year, however, the Sultan’s wife, daughter and daughter-in-law were all present. And both Her Majesty and Her Highness had chosen to wear tiaras from the family’s magnificent collection.

Previous to the arrival to the Palace of the Sultan and the Permaisuri (“Queen Consort”), however, the Royal Couple’s four surviving sons gathered in a building close to the main Palace in the complex. Maybe the readers here would be able to confirm whether it was at the mosque nearby or at one of the smaller buildings in the Palace grounds. Inside this building prayers were said before the procession towards the main Palace began.

DYAM Mejar Jeneral Tunku Ismail Ibni Sultan Ibrahim,Tunku Mahkota Johor berangkat ke Majlis Doa Kesyukuran,Majlis Teriman,Majlis Mengadap Takzim Sempena Sambutan Hari Keputeraan DYMM Sultan Johor di Istana Besar,Johor Bahru pada,22/11/2023.#hrhjohor2#ALLAHpeliharakansultan pic.twitter.com/eOEfuKFcpb

— RoyalJohorFans (@royalJohorfans) November 25, 2023

All four sons of Their Majesties wore splendid uniforms. The Sultan’s heir His Royal Highness Tunku Mahkota (“Crown Prince”) Tunku Ismail ibni Sultan Ibrahim lead the procession consisting of Palace staff and soldiers. Dressed in his dark uniform of a Major-General in the Royal Johor Military Force the Crown Prince wore the pale blue Sash and Breast Star of the Order of Loyalty of Sultan Ismail of Johor (Knight Grand Commander, 2010). In addition His Royal Highness wore the Breast Star of the Royal Family Order of Johor (First Class, 2009), the Neck-tie and Breast Star of the Order of the Crown of Johor (Knight Grand Commander, 2005) and the Breast Star of the Order of Sultan Ibrahim of Johor.

His Majesty’s second eldest son, His Highness Tunku Idris Iskandar Al-Haj ibni Sultan Ibrahim, the Tunku Temenggong of Johor, wore his white uniform of a Commander in the Royal Malaysian Navy.  With this he wore the Collar and Breast Star of the Royal Family Order of Johor (1^st Class, 2012), the Sash and Breast Star of the Order of the Crown of Johor (Knight Grand Commander, 2008) and the Neck-tie and Breast Star of the Order of Sultan Ibrahim Johor (Grand Knight, 2015). Additionally His Highness wore several medals pinned to his tunic, the first one being the Sultan Ibrahim of Johor medal (1^st Class, 2017) and the Sultan Iskandar Coronation medal.

The Tunku Panglima of Johor, His Highness Tunku Abdul Rahman Hassanal Jefri Al-Haj ibni Sultan Ibrahim, also wore a white uniform. He is now the third of Their Majesties’ sons after the death of his elder brother in 2015. His Highness was seen wearing the same Orders as his elder brother;  the Collar and Breast Star of the Royal Family Order of Johor (1^st Class, 2012), the Sash and Breast Star of the Order of the Crown of Johor (Knight Grand Commander, 2009) and the Neck-tie and Breast Star of the Order of Sultan Ibrahim Johor (Grand Knight, 2015).

Finally, the Royal Couple’s youngest son His Highness Tunku Abu Bakar Mahmood Iskandar Ibrahim Al-Haj ibni Sultan Ibrahim, the Tunku Putera of Johor, was also seen donning the very smart white ceremonial uniform of the Royal Johor Military Forces. The Prince was also wearing the Collar and Breast Star of the Royal Family Order of Johor, the Sash and Breast Star of the Order of the Crown of Johor and the Neck-tie and Breast Star of the Order of Sultan Ibrahim Johor.

Arriving at the Palace the procession stopped at the bottom of the staircase leading up to the Palace entrance. Here a small dais had been placed for the occasion covered with a bright blue fabric and the same fabric had been laid on the stairs all the way up. Troops had been lined up on the parade ground in front of the Palace. From the dais the Crown Prince then took the salute from these troops while his brothers took their place on the right side of it. Everything was now ready for the arrival of the Sultan.

His Majesty’s car drove up in front of the dais only minutes later. Out of the car stepped the Sultan and his wife. Dressed in a black uniform His Majesty was seen wearing the Collar and Breast Star of the Order of Sultan Ibrahim of Johor (Founder). Across his chest from his left shoulder was also the yellow Sash of the Royal Family Order of Johor. He was greeted by his sons and took his place on the dais which had been left vacant by the Crown Prince.

Her Majesty wore a purple velvet gown with red laced appliqué cuffs and a headscarf in the same red colour. On top of the headscarf the fabulous Emerald tiara from the Johor collection could be seen and around her neck the Permaisuri wore a Diamond necklace with an exquisite large single emerald as pendant. She also wore the Collar and Breast Star of the Royal Family Order of Johor.

By now the rest of the close family of the Sultan had also joined him. Che’ Puan Besar Khaleeda binti Bustamam, the consort of the Tunku Mahkota (Crown Prince), had chosen a very elegant gown in aquamarine blue. With this Her Highness wore a lovely Diamond tiara, Aquamarine earrings and an Aquamarine ring. Over her shoulders rested the Collar of the Royal Family Order of Johor (1^st Class, 2019). The Breast Star of the same Order could be seen pinned to her gown. Additionally she wore the Sash and Breast Star of the Order of the Crown of Johor (1^st Class / Knight Grand Commander, 2015).

Their Majesties’ only daughter Tunku Tun Aminah Maimunah Iskandariah binti Sultan Ibrahim was accompanied by her Dutch-born husband Dato’ Dennis Muhammad Abdullah. The Princess looked lovely in a pink gown donning the Collar and Breast Star of the Royal Family Order of Johor (1^st Class, 2012) and the Sash and Breast Star of the Order of the Crown of Johor (1^st Class / Knight Grand Commander, 2015). Unlike her mother and sister-in-law Her Highness did not wear any tiara. A lovely Diamond and Ruby bracelet, however, could be seen worn on her right wrist and Diamond earrings to the ears. Her husband was dressed in a white tunic and black trousers. Apart from the medal pertaining to the Order of Sultan Ibrahim of Johor his Neck-tie and Breast Star has been difficult to identify so far as they are giving off different signals. (He was awarded the Order of the Crown of Johor 2^nd Class in 2019 but the Breast Star doesn’t seem to match that Order. The colours in the Neck-tie ribbon do match this order though).

Again the troops presented arms and the Sultan took the Royal salute. Afterwards the Sultan inspected the Guard of Honour. For this he was touchingly joined by his eldest grandson Tunku Iskandar Abdul Jalil Abu Bakar Ibrahim.

Concluded the inspection the Sultan together with his family ascended the stairs and entered the main Palace building. In the Throne Room there was a three tiered dais where two golden thrones stood under the sumptuous canopy with a baldachin in rich blue heavy fabric. One step down stood another two thrones, one on each side. Somewhat less ornate but still gilded and upholstered in the same blue luxurious fabric, they were designed for the Crown Prince and his consort.

Many people in their best, some wearing ceremonial uniforms others in colourful traditional attire, had already gathered in the Throne Room where chairs had been placed in several rows. Between these chairs and the thrones stood more elaborate chairs elevated on a small dais blue and facing the aisle. These were designated to the rest of the Royal Family. When the Royal procession entered the room everybody rose and showed their respect as the Sultan and his family past them as they walked towards the thrones. While everybody was still standing the Johor National Anthem was played. Then the Sultan sat down before the rest of the congregation did the same.

Heading the list of recipients of State honours was the Indonesian Minister of Defence. The Minister has known the Sultan for many years having first met during their military training. His Majesty awarded Minister Prabowo Subianto the highest class (Knight Grand Commander) of the Order of the Crown of Johor. This Order, together with that of the Royal Family Order of Johor, is the oldest of their kind in Malaysia having been founded in 1886. It was only some 30 years later that the rest of the Malaysian States introduced their own honour system having relied previously on the British one. Minister Subianto was, however, not present at the investiture ceremony. He will thus receive the honour at a later date which is still to be determined.

One that was present was Johor’s First Minister (the Menteri Besar Johor) Datuk Onn Hafiz Ghanzi. He was awarded the highest grade of the Order of Sultan Ibrahim Johor. This Order was founded by the current Sultan in conjunction with his coronation in 2015. The colour scheme for this Order is stripes of pale blue, white, yellow, white and pale blue. His Majesty himself invested the First Minister with the Collar of the Order.

Also receiving their insignia from the hands of the Sultan were four Johor nationals who were decorated with the lower grade of the Order of Sultan Ibrahim Johor. Their insignia included the badge of the Order suspended from a ribbon in the Order’s colour scheme. The four decorated were Datuk Kamarul Zaman Mamat, Chief of the Johor Police, the Johor deputy state secretary Ismail Abu, State Chief Syariah Court Judge Datuk Muhammad Khaldun Mohamad Sharif and the Vice-Chancellor of the Tun Hussei Onn University of Malaysia (UTHM) Professor Dr Ruzairi Abdul Rahim.

Additional information and photographs can also be found on the excellent blog of The Royal Watcher:

Sultan of Johor’s 65th Birthday

Golden Jubilee of the Reign of His Majesty King Carl XVI Gustaf (1973 – 2023)

On 15th September this year (2023) His Majesty King Carl XVI Gustaf can look back on 50 years on the Swedish throne – and what a spectacular Silver throne it is! But for his reign to begin a sad occasion had to come to pass: the death of his predecessor as King of Sweden. That man was King Gustaf VI Adolf, the grandfather of the current King. Carl XVI Gustaf was 27 years old when his grandfather left this earthly life. It was now up to the young new King to shape the future of the Swedish monarchy. Because when King Gustaf VI Adolf took his last breath it was an uncertain time for the Swedish Royal Family.

The Swedish socialist government of the time did not look very favourably upon the monarchy as an institution, through the Prime Minister was said to have great respect for the old King personally. This respect was shared with the Swedish population in general. So even though the government would have preferred a new republic such a move would probably not have had sufficient support from the Swedish people at that time. So instead the government went out of its way to reduce the importance and impact of the monarchy and its traditions. It was for instance decided to abolish the glittering yearly event of the State Opening of Parliament. This had been a longstanding and was a fabulous display of pomp and ceremony with the King and Princes in their uniforms and orders, the Queen and Princesses in court dresses and blazing jewels (with tiaras), the Royal Household in their splendid court uniforms, members of the diplomatic corps in white tie or shiningly embroidered diplomatic uniforms with their wives in long gowns – some with magnificent jewels – and politicians in white tie, coats and top hats.

Another aspect of the traditions and workings of the monarchy that the Swedish government announced would cease was the honours system. The Royal Orders (those of the Seraphim, the Polar Star, the Sword and Vasa) could still be awarded to foreigners and to members of the Swedish Royal Family, but no longer should they be awarded to ordinary Swedish citizens. Fortunately the winds have changed and this specific rule has now recently been overturned and hopefully we should again see Swedish citizens being awarded for their valuable contribution to society soon. It will be very gratifying seeing the Swedes again wear the different Orders of their own country with pride at the various events where Orders should be worn.

These decisions had not yet come into effect though when King Gustaf VI Adolf passed away on after having spent four weeks hospitalised at Hälsingborg hospital to where he had been brought from his beloved summer retreat Sofiero Palace. So the new King still had a very grand swearing in ceremony (the last Swedish Coronation had taken place in 1873 – exactly 100 years previous). And so it also fell to His Majesty to open the first Parliament of his reign delivering the King’s speech (written by the government) in the old grand style.

On 1st January 1975, however, the new decisions made by the government finally came into effect. Consequently the King was left more or less as nothing more than a symbol for the country. It cannot have been easy for the young King in the beginning. He did not have decades of experience like his late grandfather. Nor had he had the time to build up the kind of respect enjoyed by his late grandfather as Head of State who could considered himself almost like a grandfather to his nation. Add to that the fact that he was single, though he of course had the help of his uncle Prince Bertil and his sisters. Things could easily have gone array. But the King embraced the challenge and felt the responsibility to preserve what was left of the monarchy but at the same time also to keep up with the times. His motto states it clearly: “For Sweden – with the Times”. Naturally there have been ups and downs, but the King can now celebrate his golden jubilee knowing that he has reigned longer than any other Swedish monarch and that the future of the Royal Family and the Monarchy seem secure in the person of the popular Crown Princess and her daughter Princess Estelle.

Photo: Thron Ullberg/The Royal Court of Sweden

2023 – Golden Jubilee – Carl XVI Gustaf – Further confirmations of attendance at the celebrations

It looks like the celebrations in connection with the Golden Jubilee of King Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden are going to be rather glittering affairs. At least the banquet which will be held at the Royal Palace where we can expect white-tie and tiaras. And even more Royal tiaras than were perhaps expected before the confirmations of attendance were known. Normally in Scandinavia it is only the (Nordic) Heads of State that attend these kind of jubilee celebrations outside of the family of the monarch that is celebrated. But as we saw from the confirmation from Denmark both the Crown Prince and the Crown Princess will also attend together with the Queen. And now it has also been confirmed that it is not only the King and Queen of Norway that will attend but also the Crown Prince and Crown Princess of Norway. This means that we can hopefully expect two more tiaras than would have been the case had only the Heads of State (with consorts) attended.

Photo: Thron Ullberg / Kungl Hovstaterna

I do hope that they all will remain in good health and that there will be no cancellations at the very last minute. Both the King of Norway and the Crown Princess of Norway have had to cancel some engagements lately due to illness.

2023 – Golden Jubilee – King Carl XVI Gustav – First Confirmations of attendance to the celebrations

Celebrating the longest reign of any Swedish monarch His Majesty King Carl XVI Gustav is marking his 50 years on the throne with a series of special events. The most exciting one for Royal watchers who relish in the grander events is naturally the banquet held on 15th September. A concert at the Drottningholm Palace Theatre has also been announced to take place the day before, but it is unlikely that this will be a white-tie and tiara event.

As per today 30th August it has been reported that Her Majesty the Queen of Denmark, Their Royal Highnesses the Crown Prince and the Crown Princess of Denmark and Her Majesty the former Queen of the Hellenes have all confirmed their attendance.

This certainly indicate that it is not only the Scandinavian Heads of State who have been invited to the party. Instead it looks like also heirs are on the list of invited guests and even foreign Royalty. Whether that implies that invitations have gone out to the rest of the European Royal courts has yet to be seen as we wait for further confirmation of attendance. It has to be taken into consideration still that the former Queen of the Hellenes is a close family member of the Swedish King, Her Majesty being his first cousin, and maybe that is why she has received an invitation.

Photo: Thron Ullberg/Kungl Hovstaterna

Apart from his children it is also very likely that His Majesty’s four sisters will add to the glitter on this occasion and there will certainly be representatives from the Norwegian Royal Family present.

75th birthday of the ruler of Negeri Sembilan

On 14th January the Malayan State of Negeri Sembilan celebrated the 75th birthday of their ruler the 11^th Yang di-Pertuan Besar Negeri Sembilan, Tuanku Muhriz ibni Almarhum Tuanku Munawir.

He was born in 1948 as son to Yan di-Pertuan Besar Tuanku Munawir ibni Almarhum Tuanku Abdul Rahman and his consort Tunku Ampuan Durah binti Almarhum Tunku Besar Burhanuddin.

The celebration began with a military review where the Yang di-Pertuan Besar was inspected a guard of honour. He was accompanied by his consort Tuanku Aishah Rohani binti Almarhum Tengku Besar Mahmud. As the wife of the Negeri Sembilan ruler she bears the title of Tunku Ampuan Besar.

His Royal Highness was dressed in uniform and he wore several orders; the Sash and Breast Star of the Royal Family Order of Negeri Sembilan, the Breast Star of the Order of the Crown of the Realm and the Breast Star of the Royal Family Order of Yam Tuan Radin Sunnah. He also wore several medals pinned to his white uniform tunic.

Her Royal Highness was dressed in yellow and also wore the Sash and Breast Star of the Royal Family Order of Negeri Sembilan. She wore a large brooch pinned to the front centre of her dress.

As the Yang di-Pertuan Besar inspected the troops a Royal 21 gun salute was fired and there was a flyby by a helicopter with the flag of Negeri Sembilan hanging from it.

In connection with his birthday a list of 540 individuals awarded several State honours was published. Some of these honours were handed out personally by the ruler at an investiture ceremony that took place later in the day.

For the investiture ceremony the Royal Couple had changed their clothes. His Royal Highness was now no longer in uniform but instead wore a yellow traditional outfit. That included a yellow headwear where a badge of the State Symbol in diamonds could be seen. In addition he wore the Sash, Collar and Breast Star of the Royal Family Order of Negeri Sembilan and the Breast Star of the Order of the Crown of the Realm.

His wife, still in yellow, now wore a diamond tiara with the State Emblem as the high centre element.  She also wore a diamond necklace and the same brooch as earlier in the day only that it was now placed further down on the dress in the fashion of a corsage. Her Royal Highness wore like her husband the Sash, Collar and Breast Star of the Royal Order of Negeri Sembilan she had received in 2009.

Their two sons, Tunku Ali Redhauddin and Tunku Zain Al-‘Abidin, also attended the investiture ceremony. Like their parents they were dressed entirely in yellow and both Princes were seen wearing the Collar and Breast Star of the Royal Family Order of Yam Tuan Radin Sunnah (Darjah Kerabat Yam Tuan Radin Sunnah) which they received in 2009. In addition they wore the Sash and Breast Star of the Loyal Order of Tuanku Muhriz, which was founded by their father back in 2009. A short list of some of the recipients of the State Honours can be found here (in Malayan).

Daulat Tuanku.

Berpeluang menghadiri Istiadat Pengurniaan Darjah Kebesaran, Bintang dan Pingat Sempena Hari Keputeraan Ke-75 DYMM Yang di-Pertuan Besar Negeri Sembilan, Tuanku Muhriz Ibni Almarhum Tuanku Munawir pada hari ini. pic.twitter.com/H1kyuwDhTA

— Aminuddin Harun (@dsaminuddin) January 14, 2023

Thoughts on grander regal events week 24/2022

Last week’s main event was of course the birthday celebrations of HRH Princess Ingrid Alexandra of Norway. Back in January when the Princess turned 18 my gala loving heart sank when the Covid restrictions made it impossible to celebrate the young Princess’ important birthday the way it had been planned to be. Fortunately, this time, instead of cancelling the celebrations altogether it was decided to postpone them to a later date. The dates chosen were 16th and 17th June. On the first day the Norwegian Government would host a dinner in her honour while her grandparents, the King and Queen of Norway, wanted to celebrate the big day with a grand gala at the Royal Palace the following day.

Photo: Ida Bjørvik, Det kongelige hoff

Luckily the Covid situation had improved sufficiently for these two events to take place on the newly chosen dates.

To read more about this wonderful celebration, press here.

1978 – 75th birthday of King Olav V – 2nd Day

On the second day of the celebrations in connection with King Olav V’s 75th birthday the King had a very busy schedule. He received deputations at the Palace in the morning before attending a service at Oslo Cathedral. Then he was received at the Parliament followed by an arrangement on the square outside of Akershus Castle. The day ended with a gala dinner hosted by the Norwegian Government.

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1978 – 75th birthday of King Olav V – 1st Day

When King Olav reached 75 there were not one, but two grand gala events to celebrate the occasion. On the first day there was a gala performance with many Royal guests present at the National Theatre. With the dress code being white tie there were a lot of glitter present and it definitely made the event seem very special and jubilant.

to read more about the 1st day, click here

70th birthday – King Olav V – 1st and 2nd Day Events

In July 1973 the Norwegians celebrated the 70th birthday of their beloved monarch, His Majesty King Olav V with several events over two days. And that month there would even be more reason to celebrate as Her Royal Highness Crown Princess Sonja gave birth to a baby boy, thus securing the succession to the Norwegian throne for yet another generation. That event, together with the christening, will no doubt be the subject in a post in the future, but if you want to read more about the birthday celebrations please press the button below to access the page:

King Olav V’s 70th birthday events

1963 – 60th birthday of King Olav V – Oslo City’s Lunch and the Government’s Gala Dinner

On July 2nd 1963 King Olav celebrated his 60th birthday. He had only been six years on the throne, but he was already a respected monarch and many wanted to join in marking this special day. It has been easy to identify the main guests who attended the celebrations, but in some cases it has been a bit difficult to identify what was worn by all of them. If anybody would have more information about these events it would be very interesting to hear about it and highly appreciated.

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