Mohamed Bolkiah ibni Omar Ali Saifuddien III (born 27 August 1947) is a member of the royal family of Brunei. He is the second son of

Omar Ali Saifuddien III Sultan Sir Omar Ali Saifuddien Sa'adul Khairi Waddien ( Jawi: ; 23 September 1914 – 7 September 1986) was the 28th Sultan of Brunei, reigning from 4 June 1950 until his abdication from the throne on 5 October 1967. He was also Brunei's fir ...

, the 28th

Sultan of Brunei The sultan of Brunei is the monarchical head of state of Brunei and head of government in his capacity as prime minister of Brunei. Since independence from the British in 1984, only one sultan has reigned, though the royal institution dates bac ...

, and Raja Isteri (Queen) Pengiran Anak Damit. He is the Head of the Brunei’s

Viziers A vizier (; ar, وزير, wazīr; fa, وزیر, vazīr), or wazir, is a high-ranking political advisor or minister in the near east. The Abbasid caliphs gave the title ''wazir'' to a minister formerly called ''katib'' (secretary), who was a ...

. After Brunei’s independence in 1984, he became the country’s first

foreign minister A foreign affairs minister or minister of foreign affairs (less commonly minister for foreign affairs) is generally a cabinet minister in charge of a state's foreign policy and relations. The formal title of the top official varies between cou ...

, serving from 1 January 1984 until 22 October 2015. He served in the

cabinet Cabinet or The Cabinet may refer to: Furniture * Cabinetry, a box-shaped piece of furniture with doors and/or drawers * Display cabinet, a piece of furniture with one or more transparent glass sheets or transparent polycarbonate sheets * Filing ...

as the Minister of the Brunei's

Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade may refer to: * Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade (Jamaica) * Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade (New Zealand) * Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade (South Korea) South Korea's Ministry of ...

alongside the second Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade,

Lim Jock Seng Lim Jock Seng (born January 22, 1944) is a Bruneian politician who served as Second Minister of Foreign Affairs & Trade. He was a member of the Legislative Council of Brunei during his tenure as Minister. Early life and education Lim Jock Seng ...

Early life

Prince Mohamed Bolkiah was born on 27 August 1947 at Istana Darussalam,

Brunei Town Bandar Seri Begawan (BSB; Jawi alphabet, Jawi: بندر سري بڬاوان; ) is the capital city of Brunei. It is officially a Municipalities of Brunei, municipal area () with an area of and an estimated population of 100,700 as of 2007. It i ...

. He is the second son of Sultan Omar Ali Saifuddien Sa'adul Khairi Waddien, the 28th Sultan of Brunei, and his wife, the late Suri Seri Begawan Raja Isteri Pengiran Anak Damit. Among his siblings are the current Sultan of Brunei,

Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah Hassanal Bolkiah ibni Omar Ali Saifuddien III ( Jawi: ; born 15 July 1946) is the 29th and current Sultan and Yang di-Pertuan of Brunei since 1967 and the Prime Minister of Brunei since independence from the United Kingdom in 1984. He is one ...

, Prince Sufri Bolkiah, Prince

Jefri Bolkiah Jefri Bolkiah ibni Omar Ali Saifuddien III (born 6 November 1954), is a member of the Brunei Royal Family. His elder brother is the Sultan of Brunei, Hassanal Bolkiah. Prince Jefri was the finance minister of his oil-rich country from 1986 ...

, Princess Masna, Princess Norain, Princess Amal Umi Kalthum Al-Islam, Princess Amal Rakiah, Princess Amal Nasibah and Princess Amal Jefriah.

Early education

Along with his siblings, Mohamed Bolkiah had his early education at the

Lapau The Lapau, also known as the Royal Ceremonial Hall, is a ceremonial hall in Bandar Seri Begawan, Brunei. It is where the royal ceremonies, state investiture and some state events are traditionally held. It was the place where the present Sult ...

(the Royal ceremonial building).

New titles

On 29 September 1967, Mohamed Bolkiah was appointed by his father, Sultan Omar Ali Saifuddien III, as Pengiran Temenggong, one of Brunei's traditional

wazirs The Wazirs or Waziris ( ps, وزير) are a Karlani Pashtun tribe found mainly in the Pakistan-Afghanistan border region of North waziristan, South Waziristan and Bannu Ahmadzai Wazir (Domel) and Utmanzai wazir (Baka Khel and Jani Khel) The Utmanz ...

. In 1970, Mohamed Bolkiah was given by Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah the new title of Perdana Wazir, head of the traditional Brunei wazirs, the "eyes and ears" of the ruler.

Independence

Immediately following the independence of Brunei Darussalam in 1984, Mohamed Bolkiah was appointed Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade. During the cabinet reshuffle on 22 October 2015, he was replaced by his brother, the Sultan himself. He also holds the title of the Chief Vizier (Perdana Wazir) in the Royal Court.

Marriage and children

In August 1970, Mohamed Bolkiah married his first cousin, Yang Teramat Mulia ("HRH") Pengiran Anak Isteri Pengiran Anak Hajah Zariah binti Al-Marhum Pengiran Pemancha Pengiran Anak Haji Mohamed Alam, the sister of Pengiran Anak Hajah Saleha, the Raja Isteri (Queen). Together they have 10 children.

Selected works

''Time and the River''

''Remember, Remember... The 8th of December''

Titles, styles and honours

The style and title of Mohamed Bolkiah in English is:
''His Royal Highness Prince'' Mohamed Bolkiah ibni Al-Marhum Sultan Haji Omar 'Ali Saifuddien Sa'adul Khairi Waddien In Malay: ''Duli Yang Teramat Mulia Paduka Seri Pengiran Perdana Wazir Sahibul Himmah Wal-Waqar Pengiran Muda Mohamed Bolkiah ibni Al-Marhum Sultan Haji Omar 'Ali Saifuddien Sa'adul Khairi Waddien''

Honours

* : Grand Cordon of the

Order of the Rising Sun The is a Japanese order, established in 1875 by Emperor Meiji. The Order was the first national decoration awarded by the Japanese government, created on 10 April 1875 by decree of the Council of State. The badge features rays of sunlight ...

(2009)

Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs The is an executive department of the Government of Japan, and is responsible for the country's foreign policy and international relations. The ministry was established by the second term of the third article of the National Government Organi ...

"2009 Autumn Conferment of Decorations on Foreign Nationals," p. 2.
/ref> * : ** MY-KEL Royal Family Order - Star of Yunus - DK

Recipient of the Royal Family Order or Star of Yunus (DK) (2022)

Issue

Notes

External links

Brunei Ministry of Foreign Affairs, organisation
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bolkiah, Mohamed, Prince of Brunei Bruneian royalty 1948 births Living people Foreign ministers of Brunei Members of the Legislative Council of Brunei Mohamed Mohamed Mohamed