Raja Permaisuri Tuanku Bainun ( Jawi: راج ڤرمايسوري توانکو بعينون; ''née'' Bainun binti Mohd Ali; born 7 November 1932) is the former Raja Permaisuri of Perak the (Queen)

Malaysia Malaysia ( ; ) is a country in Southeast Asia. The federation, federal constitutional monarchy consists of States and federal territories of Malaysia, thirteen states and three federal territories, separated by the South China Sea into two r ...

n state of

Perak Perak () is a state of Malaysia on the west coast of the Malay Peninsula. Perak has land borders with the Malaysian states of Kedah to the north, Penang to the northwest, Kelantan and Pahang to the east, and Selangor to the south. Thailand's ...

. She was also the ninth

Raja Permaisuri Agong ''Raja Permaisuri Agong'' (Jawi script, Jawi: راج ڤرمايسوري اݢوڠ; full title: ''Kebawah Duli Yang Maha Mulia Seri Paduka Baginda Raja Permaisuri Agong''; سري ڤدوک بݢيندا راج ڤرمايسوري اݢوڠ, literal ...

(Queen) of Malaysia, the first commoner to be installed as Queen. She is the widow of Sultan Azlan Shah and the mother of the incumbent Sultan Nazrin Shah. She is now styled as Yang Maha Mulia Raja Permaisuri Tuanku Bainun.

Background

Tuanku Bainun was born on 7 November 1932 in

Penang Penang ( ms, Pulau Pinang, is a Malaysian state located on the northwest coast of Peninsular Malaysia, by the Malacca Strait. It has two parts: Penang Island, where the capital city, George Town, is located, and Seberang Perai on the Ma ...

, the

Straits Settlements The Straits Settlements were a group of British territories located in Southeast Asia. Headquartered in Singapore for more than a century, it was originally established in 1826 as part of the territories controlled by the British East India Co ...

and received her early education at the St. George's Girls School,

. She was selected to further her studies at the prestigious Teacher's Training College, Kirkby,

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe ...

from 1952 to 1954. A year after returning from England, she married Sultan Azlan Muhibbuddin Shah ibni Almarhum Sultan Yussuff Izzuddin Shah Ghafarullahu-lah of Perak on 9 December 1955. The Sultan was then a Magistrate in

Kuala Lumpur , anthem = ''Maju dan Sejahtera'' , image_map = , map_caption = , pushpin_map = Malaysia#Southeast Asia#Asia , pushpin_map_caption = , coordinates = , sub ...

, while Tuanku Bainun was teaching at her former school. She has taught in various schools in

Kuala Lumpur , anthem = ''Maju dan Sejahtera'' , image_map = , map_caption = , pushpin_map = Malaysia#Southeast Asia#Asia , pushpin_map_caption = , coordinates = , sub ...

Seremban Seremban ( Negeri Sembilan Malay: ''Soghomban'', ''Somban''; Jawi: ) is a city in the Seremban District and the capital of the state of Negeri Sembilan in Peninsular Malaysia. The city's administration is run by the Seremban City Council. ...

, Raub, Taiping and

Kuantan Kuantan ( Jawi: ) is a city and the state capital of Pahang, Malaysia. It is located near the mouth of the Kuantan River. Kuantan is the 18th largest city in Malaysia based on 2010 population, and the largest city in the East Coast of Penin ...

Queen consort

Upon her husband's accession to the Perak throne on 3 February 1984, she became Raja Permaisuri of Perak with the title of Tuanku. In Perak, Queens of royal blood are known as Raja Perempuan, while the title of Raja Permaisuri was reserved for commoner consorts. Her Royal Highness was officially proclaimed the Raja Permaisuri Perak Darul Ridzuan on 9 December 1985 in a historic ceremony at Istana Iskandariah in

Kuala Kangsar The Kuala Kangsar ( Perak Malay: ''Kole Kangso'') is the royal town of Perak, Malaysia. It is located at the downstream of Kangsar River where it joins the Perak River, approximately northwest of Ipoh, Perak's capital, and southeast of ...

. Sultan Azlan Shah was selected as the ninth

Yang di-Pertuan Agong The Yang di-Pertuan Agong (, Jawi: ), also known as the Supreme Head of the Federation, the Paramount Ruler or simply as the Agong, and unofficially as the King of Malaysia, is the constitutional monarch and head of state of Malaysia. The o ...

and during the Oath Taking and Signing Ceremony on 26 April 1989, Tuanku Bainun was proclaimed

. Tuanku Bainun is the first commoner ever to become Queen of Malaysia. She was crowned

on 19 February 1988 a new throne made of silver that replaced the ancient wooden throne used by Malaysia's eight previous Queens of royal blood, adding another first to her crown. They held these titles until the end of Azlan Shah's term on 25 April 1994. She ceased to be Raja Permaisuri of Perak on 28 May 2014, after her husband died. She was succeeded a month later by her daughter in-law, Tuanku Zara Salim.

Royal family

The royal couple had five children, two princes and three princesses. The eldest is Sultan Nazrin Muizzuddin Shah ibni Almarhum Sultan Azlan Muhibbuddin Shah, the current

Sultan of Perak The Sultan of Perak (سلطان ڤيراق) is one of the oldest hereditary seats among the Malay states. When the Sultanate of Malacca empire fell to Portugal in 1511, Sultan Mahmud Syah I retreated to Kampar, Sumatra, and died there in ...

. The others are Raja Dato’ Seri Azureen Binti Almarhum Sultan Azlan Muhibbuddin Shah, Raja Dato’ Seri Ashman Shah Ibni Sultan Azlan Muhibbuddin Shah, Raja Dato' Seri Eleena Binti Almarhum Sultan Azlan Muhibbuddin Shah and Raja Dato' Seri Yong Sofia Binti Almarhum Sultan Azlan Muhibbuddin Shah.

Awards and recognitions

She was awarded:

Honours of Perak

* : **

MY-PERA Royal Family Order of Perak - DK

Recipient of the

Royal Family Order of Perak Royal may refer to: People * Royal (name), a list of people with either the surname or given name * A member of a royal family Places United States * Royal, Arkansas, an unincorporated community * Royal, Illinois, a village * Royal, Iowa, a cit ...

(DK) **

MY-PERA Azlanii Royal Family Order - Member First Class - DKA I

Member First Class of the Azlanii Royal Family Order (DKA I, 2010)

Honours of Malaysia

* : ** Recipient of the

Order of the Crown of the Realm The Most Exalted Order of the Crown of the Realm ( ms, Darjah Utama Seri Mahkota Negara) is a Malaysian federal award. It is ranked lower than the Order of the Royal Family of Malaysia. It should not be confused with the Order of Loyalty to th ...

(DMN)Sultanah Bainum wearin
DMN
/ref> * : ** MY-SEL Royal Family Order of Selangor - DK I

First Class of the Royal Family Order of Selangor (DK I, 11 December 2005)

Foreign Honours

* : **

Grand Cordon of the

Order of the Precious Crown The is a Japanese order, established on January 4, 1888 by Emperor Meiji of Japan. Since the Order of the Rising Sun at that time was an Order for men, it was established as an Order for women. Originally the order had five classes, but on Ap ...

(30 September 1991) * : ** Order of Chula Chom Klao - Special Class (Thailand) ribbon

Grand Cordon of the

Order of Chula Chom Klao The Most Illustrious Order of Chula Chom Klao ( th, เครื่องราชอิสริยาภรณ์จุลจอมเกล้า; ) was established on 16 November 1873 by King Rama V of The Kingdom of Siam (now Thailand ...

(September 1990)

Academic

* Fellow of

Liverpool John Moores University , mottoeng = Fortune favours the bold , established = 1823 – Liverpool Mechanics' School of Arts1992 – Liverpool John Moores University , type = Public , endowment = , coor ...

Places named after her

Several places were named after her, including: * Raja Pemaisuri Bainun Bridge in Lumut, Perak * Raja Permaisuri Bainun Hospital in Ipoh, Perak * Raja Permaisuri Bainun Mosque in Kuala Kangsar, Perak * Jalan Raja Permaisuri Bainun in Ipoh, Perak * Institut Pendidikan Guru Kampus Tuanku Bainun in Bukit Mertajam, Penang * SMK Raja Permaisuri Bainun, a secondary school in Ipoh, Perak * Tuanku Bainun Library in Universiti Pendidikan Sultan Idris, Tanjung Malim, Perak

References

, - {{DEFAULTSORT:Bainun, Tuanku 1932 births People from Penang Living people Royal House of Perak First Classes of Royal Family Order of Selangor Perak royal consorts Malaysian royal consorts Malaysian people of Malay descent Malaysian Muslims Grand Cordons of the Order of the Precious Crown Dames Grand Cross of the Order of Chula Chom Klao Malaysian queens consort Recipients of the Order of the Crown of the Realm