Prince Haji 'Abdul 'Azim of Brunei ( ms, Duli Yang Teramat Mulia Paduka Seri Pengiran Muda Haji 'Abdul 'Azim; 29 July 1982 – 24 October 2020) was the second-born prince of Hassanal Bolkiah, Sultan of Brunei. He was fourth in line to succeed the throne of

Brunei Brunei ( , ), formally Brunei Darussalam ( ms, Negara Brunei Darussalam, Jawi alphabet, Jawi: , ), is a country located on the north coast of the island of Borneo in Southeast Asia. Apart from its South China Sea coast, it is completely sur ...

until his death on 24 October 2020.

Early life and education

Prince Azim was born in

Bandar Seri Begawan Bandar Seri Begawan (BSB; Jawi: بندر سري بڬاوان; ) is the capital city of Brunei. It is officially a municipal area () with an area of and an estimated population of 100,700 as of 2007. It is part of Brunei-Muara District, the sm ...

, Brunei on 29 July 1982. He was the second-born child of the Sultan of Brunei, Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah, and Pengiran Isteri Hajah Mariam. He was educated at

International School Brunei International School Brunei (ISB) is an international school split over two sites, one located in the Sungai Akar area of Bandar Seri Begawan, Brunei and the other located in Seria in the Belait district. It is the first international school ...

Raffles Institution Raffles Institution (RI) is an independent educational institution in Singapore. Founded in 1823, it is the oldest school in the country. It provides secondary education for boys only from Year 1 to Year 4, and pre-university education for both ...

, and

Oxford Brookes University Oxford Brookes University (formerly known as Oxford Polytechnic (United Kingdom), Polytechnic) is a public university, public university in Oxford, England. It is a new university, having received university status through the Further and High ...

Post-university

In 2008, Prince Azim was sent to attend the nine-month officer training course at the

Royal Military Academy Sandhurst The Royal Military Academy Sandhurst (RMAS or RMA Sandhurst), commonly known simply as Sandhurst, is one of several military academies of the United Kingdom and is the British Army's initial officer training centre. It is located in the town of ...

, but he dropped out after one week. In 2009, he designed unisex weekend bags for MCM. The proceeds went to the

Make A Wish Foundation The Make-A-Wish Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization founded in the United States that helps fulfill the wishes of children with a critical illness between the ages of and 18 years old. Make-A-Wish was founded in 1980 and headquar ...

UK, a charity in which he is one of the patrons. In May 2011, at a charity show in Brunei Darussalam, held at the Empire Hotel and Country Club's Indera Samudra Hall at which 31 persons with autism performed, Prince Azim said that those with autism should be treated with respect, "as would to any of your family members". On 27 April 2013 at the opening of the 2nd

ASEAN ASEAN ( , ), officially the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, is a political and economic union of 10 member states in Southeast Asia, which promotes intergovernmental cooperation and facilitates economic, political, security, militar ...

Autism Network (AAN) Congress, he urged that appropriate support be given to families with autistic family members. He was a producer with the London-based film company Daryl Prince Productions which produced ''

You're Not You ''You're Not You'' is a 2014 American drama film directed by George C. Wolfe and written by Shana Feste and Jordan Roberts, based on the 2006 novel of the same name by Michelle Wildgen. The film stars Hilary Swank, Emmy Rossum and Josh Duhamel. ...

''. The implementation of

sharia law Sharia (; ar, شريعة, sharīʿa ) is a body of religious law that forms a part of the Islamic tradition. It is derived from the Five Pillars of Islam, religious precepts of Islam and is based on the Islamic holy books, sacred scriptures o ...

by his father was poorly received in Hollywood and led to a

boycott A boycott is an act of nonviolent, voluntary abstention from a product, person, organization, or country as an expression of protest. It is usually for moral, social, political, or environmental reasons. The purpose of a boycott is to inflict som ...

of properties owned by Brunei. Azim is thought to have cancelled his attendance at a party for buyers of ''You're Not You'' because of the controversy. He was a prominent figure of the international

jetset In journalism, jet set is a term for an international social group of wealthy people who travel the world to participate in social activities unavailable to ordinary people. The term, which replaced "café society", came from the lifestyle of tra ...

. Prince Azim was reported to have had a net worth of US$5 billion at the time of his death. In April 2019 Prince Azim was outed as gay by blogger

Perez Hilton Mario Armando Lavandeira Jr. (born March 23, 1978), known professionally as Perez Hilton, is an American blogger, columnist, and media personality. His blog is known for posts covering gossip items about celebrities, and for posting tabloid p ...

, in response to the Sultan of Brunei's introduction of Sharia law, which included the death penalty for gay people. Prince Azim responded by saying that he didn't mind being outed, but he was concerned that it "probably hurt a few people in the community". Prince Azim was an advocate for the arts and creative industries and championed and donated to several causes around youth and people with disabilities.

Death

Prince Azim died on 24 October 2020 at the

Jerudong Park Medical Centre Jerudong Park Medical Centre (, Abbrev: ') is a private hospital in Brunei-Muara District, Brunei Darussalam which mainly provides specialized healthcare services. It is located in Jerudong, some 20 kilometres from Bandar Seri Begawan. The hospit ...

Jerudong Kampong Jerudong or simply Jerudong is a village in Brunei-Muara District, Brunei, about from the capital Bandar Seri Begawan. The population was 3,856 in 2016. It is one of the settlements within Mukim Sengkurong. The village is home to a few ...

following a long battle against an undisclosed illness. He was 38 years old at the time of his death. The official announcement of his death was made later on the day he died. The government of Brunei also announced a seven-day period of

mourning Mourning is the expression of an experience that is the consequence of an event in life involving loss, causing grief, occurring as a result of someone's death, specifically someone who was loved although loss from death is not exclusively ...

and ordered all national flags be lowered to

half-mast Half-mast or half-staff (American English) refers to a flag flying below the summit of a ship mast, a pole on land, or a pole on a building. In many countries this is seen as a symbol of respect, mourning, distress, or, in some cases, a salu ...

. He was laid to rest beside his grandfather, Sultan Omar Ali Saifuddien III, at the Royal Mausoleum in Bandar Seri Begawan after the Asar prayers. His funeral and burial ceremony was attended by the Brunei Royal Family, state dignitaries and cabinet ministers. Among the foreign guests who were present to give their last respects was

Tunku Ismail Idris Major General Tunku Ismail Idris Abdul Majid Abu Bakar Iskandar ibni Sultan Ibrahim Ismail ( Jawi: تونكو إسماعيل إدريس عبدالمجيد أبو بكر إسكندر ابن سلطان إبراهيم إسماعيل; born 30 June 19 ...

as representative of the

Sultan of Johor The Sultan of Johor is a hereditary seat and the sovereign ruler of the Malaysian state of Johor. In the past, the sultan held absolute power over the state and was advised by a ''bendahara''. Currently, the role of ''bendahara'' has been take ...

. A day after his death, the

ordered all state flags in the state of

Johor Johor (; ), also spelled as Johore, is a States and federal territories of Malaysia, state of Malaysia in the south of the Malay Peninsula. Johor has land borders with the Malaysian states of Pahang to the north and Malacca and Negeri Sembilan ...

be lowered to half-mast in respect of the late prince. Some celebrities on social media like

Daniel Lismore Daniel Lismore (born 24 December 1984 in Bournemouth, moved to Fillongley on the border of Coventry at 9 days old, United Kingdom) is a British fabric sculptor, designer, and campaigner.Vogue. England’s Most Eccentric Dresser Shows His 3,000-P ...

and

Janet Jackson Janet Damita Jo Jackson (born May 16, 1966) is an American singer, songwriter, actress, and dancer. She is noted for her innovative, socially conscious and sexually provocative records, as well as elaborate stage shows. Her sound and choreog ...

offered their condolences. On 27 October 2020, his brother Prince Mateen released a post on

Instagram Instagram is a photo and video sharing social networking service owned by American company Meta Platforms. The app allows users to upload media that can be edited with filters and organized by hashtags and geographical tagging. Posts can ...

that stated that the cause of death was

multiple organ failure Multiple organ dysfunction syndrome (MODS) is altered organ function in an acutely ill patient requiring medical intervention to achieve homeostasis. Although Irwin and Rippe cautioned in 2005 that the use of "multiple organ failure" or "multisy ...

which was caused by severe systemic vasculitis which Prince Azim was diagnosed with early into 2020.

Honours

BRU Royal Family Order of the Crown of Brunei

Order of the Crown of Brunei The Most Honourable Order of Seri Paduka Mahkota Brunei ( ms, Darjah Seri Paduka Mahkota Brunei Yang Amat Mulia), also translated as The Most Honourable Order of the Crown of Brunei, is an order of Brunei Brunei ( , ), formally Brunei D ...

(DKMB) *

Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah Medal (PHBS) * Sultan's Golden Jubilee Medal (2017)

Golden Jubilee Medal – (5 October 2017) * Sultan%27s_Silver_Jubilee_Medal_(1992)

Silver Jubilee Medal – (5 October 1992)

Ancestry

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Azim 1982 births 2020 deaths People from Bandar Seri Begawan Bruneian people of Arab descent Bruneian people of Japanese descent Bruneian people of English descent Bruneian royalty Alumni of Oxford Brookes University Graduates of the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst Raffles Institution alumni Bruneian film producers Deaths from multiple organ failure Deaths from vasculitis LGBT royalty Gay men LGBT film producers LGBT in Brunei