Saleha binti Mohamed Alam (born 7 October 1946) is the
Queen
Queen or QUEEN may refer to:
Monarchy
* Queen regnant, a female monarch of a Kingdom
** List of queens regnant
* Queen consort, the wife of a reigning king
* Queen dowager, the widow of a king
* Queen mother, a queen dowager who is the mother ...
of Brunei as the wife of Sultan
Hassanal Bolkiah, the current
Sultan of Brunei. She is the daughter of
Pengiran Pemancha Pengiran Anak Haji Mohammad Alam and
Pengiran Anak Hajah Besar. After her husband was crowned as the
Sultan and Yang Di-Pertuan of
Brunei
Brunei ( , ), formally Brunei Darussalam ( ms, Negara Brunei Darussalam, 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 surrounded by t ...
, she succeeded her mother-in-law,
Pengiran Anak Damit, as Raja Isteri (
Queen consort).
She is the mother of Crown Prince
Al-Muhtadee Billah.
Early life
Saleha was born at Kampong Sumbiling, Jalan Istana Darussalam in Brunei Town (now
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 s ...
),
Brunei Darussalam
Brunei ( , ), formally Brunei Darussalam ( ms, Negara Brunei Darussalam, 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 surrounded by the ...
on 7 October 1946. Her name, Saleha, means "pious" or "virtuous" in Arabic.
Saleha had her early education through private tuition at the ''surau'' (a large prayer hall) of ''Istana Darul Hana''. She also attended religious classes. She furthered her secondary education at Sekolah Tinggi Perempuan Raja Isteri (STPRI) 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 s ...
until 1965.
When Saleha was young she sometimes did not wear a veil.
Saleha also attended Cygnets House, a finishing school for young ladies in South Kensington, SW7 along with her sister-in-law Princess Masna Bolkiah, while her husband the Sultan and his brother were at Sandhurst.
Marriage and family life
On 28 July 1965, Saleha married her paternal first cousin, Pengiran Muda Mahkota (Crown Prince)
Hassanal Bolkiah, who later became the 29th
Sultan of Brunei. The sultan's mother Raja Isteri (Queen Consort)
Pengiran Anak Damit and Saleha's father
Pengiran Anak Mohammad Alam
''Al Marhum Pengiran Pemancha Sahibul Rae' Wal Mashuarah Pengiran Anak Haji'' Mohammad Alam ibni ''Al Marhum Pengiran Bendahara Pengiran Anak'' Abdul Rahman (18 October 1918 – 14 December 1982) was the fourth Speaker of the Brunei Legislativ ...
were siblings.
Saleha has two sons and four daughters. She has eighteen grandchildren (five from her daughter
Princess Rashidah, four from her son Crown Prince Billah, two from her daughter
Princess Majeedah, four from her daughter Princess Hafizah and three from her son
Prince Abdul Malik), and her elder son is
Crown Prince Al-Muhtadee Billah.
Social contributions
Saleha is the Patron to various organisations including the Women's Institute (WI), Pertiwi Association, PEKERTI, the
Girl Guides Association of Brunei Darussalam, the Brunei Government Senior Officers Wives Welfare Association (BISTARI), the Women's Council of Brunei Darussalam, The Women Graduates' Association, and the Brunei Shell Women Association.
Hobbies and interests
Being a lover of nature, Saleha has a fruit garden, a fish pond and a bird park. Her hobbies include reading, playing badminton as well as traditional Bruneian games such as
Congkak
Southeast Asian mancalas are a subtype of mancala games predominantly found in Southeast Asia. They are known as congklak ( VOS Spelling: tjongklak), congkak, congka, and dakon in Indonesia, congkak in Malaysia and Brunei, and sungkâ in the ...
and
Pasang Pasang or Pa Sang may refer to:
*Pasang (game), a board game from Brunei
*Basang or Pasang, a Tibetan-Chinese politician
*Pasang or pesang, regional names for ''Durio graveolens''
Places
*Pasang-e Bala, Iran
*Pasang-e Pain, Iran
*Pa Sang, Mae ...
.
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Honours
She has been awarded :
National honours
* Royal Family Order of the Crown of Brunei - Darjah Kerabat Mahkota Brunei - D.K.M.B.
* Family Order of Laila Utama
The Most Esteemed Family Order of Laila Utama ( ms, Darjah Kerabat Laila Utama Yang Amat Dihormati) is an order of Brunei. It was established on 1 March 1954 by Sultan Omar Ali Saifuddien III. The order carries the post-nominal letters "DK" as ...
1st Class - Darjah Kerabat Laila Utama Yang Amat Dihormati - D.K.
* Pingat Hassanal Bolkiah Sultan (Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah Medal - PHBS, 1 August 1968).
* Sultan of Brunei Silver Jubilee Medal (5 October 1992).
* Sultan of Brunei Golden Jubilee Medal (5 October 2017).
Foreign honours
* :
** Dame Grand Cordon of the Supreme Order of the Renaissance, Special Class
* :
** Honorary Dame Grand Cordon of the Order of the Crown of the Realm
** :
*** Dame Grand Cross of the Royal Family Order of Kelantan
The Most Esteemed Royal Family Order of Kelantan or the Star of Yunus ( Malay: ''Darjah Kerabat Yang Amat Di-Hormati'' or ''Bintang al-Yunusi'') is an honorific order of the Sultanate of Kelantan.
History
Instituted on 9 August 1916, this ord ...
* :
** Dame Grand Cross of the Order of the Netherlands Lion
The Order of the Netherlands Lion, also known as the Order of the Lion of the Netherlands ( nl, De Orde van de Nederlandse Leeuw, french: L'Ordre du Lion Néerlandais) is a Dutch order of chivalry founded by King William I of the Netherlands on ...
* :
** Member of the Royal Order of the Seraphim
The Royal Order of the Seraphim ( sv, Kungliga Serafimerorden; ''Seraphim'' being a category of angels) is a Swedish order of chivalry created by King Frederick I on 23 February 1748, together with the Order of the Sword and the Order of the P ...
** Commander Grand Cross Royal Order of the Polar Star
The Royal Order of the Polar Star ( Swedish: ''Kungliga Nordstjärneorden'') is a Swedish order of chivalry created by King Frederick I on 23 February 1748, together with the Order of the Sword and the Order of the Seraphim.
The Order of ...
* :
** Dame Grand Cordon with Chain of the Order of Chula Chom Klao, Special Class
* :
** Member of the Decoration of Princess Olga, 1st Class
* :
** Star of Mahaputera 1st Class
* :
** Grand Order of Mugunghwa
The Grand Order of Mugunghwa ( ko, 무궁화대훈장) is the highest order awarded by the government of South Korea. It is awarded to the President of South Korea, and it may be awarded to their spouse, heads or former heads of state of South Ko ...
Children
Ancestry
See also
* Raja Isteri Pengiran Anak Saleha Hospital
* Raja Isteri Pengiran Anak Hajah Saleha Bridge
* Raja Isteri Pengiran Anak Saleha Secondary School
Raja Isteri Pengiran Anak Saleha Secondary School () is a government secondary school in Birau, a village in Tutong District, Brunei. The school provides secondary education leading up to GCE 'O' Level qualification.
Name
The school is na ...
References
External links
{{DEFAULTSORT:Saleha of Brunei, Queen
1946 births
Living people
Bruneian Muslims
Bruneian royalty
Queens consort
Bruneian women
Dames Grand Cross of the Order of Chula Chom Klao
Recipients of the Order of Princess Olga, 1st class