Brunei’s ‘most handsome prince’ was appointed Foreign Minister

Brunei King Hassanal Bolkiah on June 4 announced a cabinet reshuffle and appointed his two sons to important positions in the government, seemingly to prepare the next generation of leaders.

Prince Abdul Mateen, 35 years old, the king’s fourth son, was appointed Foreign Minister.

Prince Abdul Mateen is a British-trained military officer, loves baseball and is a helicopter pilot. He often accompanied his father on foreign trips. The prince got married in 2024 and has a three-month-old daughter.

Standing at number 5 in the line of succession, his movie star appearance helped him attract more than three million followers on Instagram and become the modern face of the royal family, earning him the nickname “Brunei’s most handsome prince”.

Mateen’s second brother, Prince Abdul Malik, 42, was appointed Minister of the Prime Minister’s Office. The king’s eldest son, Crown Prince Al-Muhtadee Billah, 52, who is first in the line of succession, still holds the position of senior minister at the Prime Minister’s Office. He has two sons in the line of succession.

The Sultan of Brunei has 12 children with three wives, including 5 sons. His third son, Prince Abdul Azim (1982-2020), was a famous film producer and philanthropist, passed away in 2020. The youngest son is Prince Abdul Wakeel, born in 2006.

According to King Hassanal, Prince Mateen will continue his career in the military, while also serving the country as Foreign Minister of Brunei. Talking about the appointment decision, the Sultan of Brunei said he “took into account the tendencies and early exposure of his two children in the government’s administrative system”.

The Sultan of Brunei said he will continue to hold key roles as Prime Minister, Defense Minister and Finance Minister. He also announced the creation of three new ministerial positions to enhance policy coordination across the government and that the Ministry of Tourism Resources would be transformed into the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry.

“This decision is intended to promote the development of priority sectors, strengthen efforts to diversify the economy, support sustainable economic growth and create meaningful employment opportunities,” he said.

The reshuffle also saw the highest number of women appointed to the cabinet ever, including the Education Minister and three deputy ministers.

The Sultan of Brunei, 79 years old, has had some health problems recently. He had knee replacement surgery in January and has appeared less in public since the beginning of the year. Last year, he was hospitalized for exhaustion while attending the ASEAN summit in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

A narrow strip of land on the northern edge of the Southeast Asian island of Borneo, Brunei was influenced by Buddhism and Hinduism before converting to Islam in the 14th century. The country gained independence in 1984, after being a British protectorate.