For the Royal Family of Brunei 2020 began with a joyful addition! TRH Prince Abdul Malik & his wife Princess Raabi'atul 'Adawiyyah welcomed their third daughter on Sunday, January 5. It was officially announced via local news bulletins, one week later.
According to the statement, published first by the Sultan's office, His Majesty SultanHaji HassanAl Bolkiah,Sultan & Yang di-Pertuan of BruneiDarussalam, was pleased to announce the name of his newborn granddaughter. The little Princess' full name is: YAM (HRH) Pengiran Anak (Princess) Khaalishah Mishbaahul Bolqiah binti (daughter of) His Royal Highness Prince 'Abdul Malik.Princess Khaalishah Mishbaahul was born on the 10th of (islamic month) Jammadilawal, 1441 (corresponding to the Gregorian date: 5th January, 2020), at 10:08pm (local time).
The announcement concluded stating that The Sultan & Her Majesty Duli Raja Isteri Pengiran Anak (Queen Consort) Hajah Saleha & the entire House of Bolkiahsincerely thanked those involved in the royal birth, as well as well wishers who extended their congratulations & greetings on the occasion. Khaalishah is the 17th grandchild (& 9th granddaughter) of Their Majesties, but has no rights to the throne due to the Sultanate's saliclaw of succession.
Prince Abdul Malik & Princess Raabi'atul 'Adawiyyah (2015)
Princess Khaalishah father, Prince 'Abdul Malik (the Sultan & Queen's third son) was married to his wife (Mishbaahul's mother), Pengiran Anak Isteri (Princess Consort) Pengiran Raabi'atul 'Adawiyyah (from the same House of Bolkiah) in April 2015. The Royal wedding consisted of 11 days of glittering ceremonies, with the main Bersanding (Bride & Groom's blessings) held on April 12. It was attended by 5,000 guests, including fellow monarchs from Malaysia & royalty across the Arab world. The royal couple have since welcomed two older daughters, Princess Muthee'ah Raayatul Bolqiah (*2016) & Princess Fathiyyah Rafaahul Bolqiah (*2018).
Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah's Golden Jubilee of Reign (2017)
The baby Princess' grandfather is the second longest-reigning monarch in the world. Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah, 73, took the throne in 1967, and - in ~half a century - oversaw its independence from the UK in 1984, with the state getting wealthy, particularly thanks to its significant oil resourses, which turned its GDP to high levels & promoted tourism. His Majesty, who rules as an absolute monarch, is one of the richest leaders on earth (owing ~US $20bn); he has sometimes sparkled a broad outrage from the west for using the islamic Shariah law, which bans alcohol, homosexuality & several religious practices of dirrerent faifths, and imposes death penalty.
Sultan Qaboos, who died on January 10 aged 79, was months shy of his Golden Jubilee, nearly reaching 50 years as Sovereign of Oman. He took power from his father by a bloodless coup in 1970, and through his absolute rule, gradually transformed the last Ibadi Sultanate from an underdeveloped backwater to the "Switzerland of Middle East", a modern nation, of rich oil resurses & an important straregic role thanks to its neutral position in a warfare-fueled region. Revered as father-figure by a majority of Omani population, His Majesty held all government's toppositions, and was the only monarch wearing a turban; an authentic, colourful, Arab Sultan.
Say'yid Qaboos bin Sa'id bin Taimur Al-Sa'id was born on 18 November 1940 in the Southern Omani city of Salalah. He was the only son of then Sultan of Muscat & Oman Said III bin Teimur & his second wife Sheikha Mazoon bint Ahmad Ali Al-Mashani (1925-1992). The 15th generation descendant of the House of Sa'id (ruling the coastal Arab peninsula' Sultanate since 1744) grew up under the supervision of his despotic father under whose rule the country had only ties with Britain.
After completing private education by 18, young Qaboos was sent to the UK, where he studied in Suffolk & was trained at the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst, & later served at a British Army in Germany. His schooling in England also purposed to strengthern the ties between British & Omani Royal families. Upon returning to Oman in 1966, Qaboos was kept at a palace under virtual house arrest by his father, who was fearful of being deposed by his son. At the time, Muscat & Oman relied on its ruler's bond with the UK, being completely isolated from the rest of civilized world. Bonded by its unique traditions, the Sultanate lacked of infrastructure, had less than five schools & hospitals, with slavery still in use & the Sovereign's permission needed to use a car, listen to music or wear sunglasses!
Sultan Sa'id III bin Teimur (r. 1932 - 1970)
Newly ascended Sultan Qaboos (centre) in late July 1970
Said bin Taimur's fears were not baseless. Along with his son he allowed two British officers in the same palace. One of them assisted Qaboos bin Said in planning an uprising, supported by the country's sole Petroleum development council. The moment came soon after oil prices were rised on Thursday July 23, 1970. The young heir to the throne led a bloodless coup against his father easily, supported by the latter's only powerful force, the British military. He was immediately installed the new Sultan, while Said III, who managed to shoot himself on foot from anger, was exiled to the UK, where he died two years later. Qaboos bin Said Al-Said immediately promised a new chapter in the country's history, described monolectically as "the Renaissance" (each year celebrated on July 23).
Immediately after taking over, Sultan Qaboos bin Said began transforming the Sultanate into a modern country. He renamed it from Muscat & Oman to single Oman, making the former (Muscat) its capital city. At the same time he abolished slavery & began opening up to the rest of the world. With the help of fellow King Hussein of Jordan & Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi of Iran, Qaboos used power to quell communist uprising in Dhofar region, already in turbulence from the late 1960s. He though promised reforms for better quality of life to soften the people's agitation, expressed by these uprisings.
Such reforms were pushed forward thanks to proper use of just discovered oil resourses. Trusted acquaintances of the Sultan were put on the top of the country's main private companies, guaranteeing a swift economic growth. His Majesty, who as an absolute monarch took government, state economy, army & foreign affairs under his own helm, oversaw a deep stretch to the development of state services, & renewing infrastructure: during the first decade of his reign new roads were asphalted, schools, hospitals & more public centres built, free education for all guaranteed & life expendance rising from ~45 to more than 70 years of age.
Sultan Qaboos receives Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu, 2018
In the meantime, major global changes were happening & the region was noticeably affected by severe turbulence. Qaboos bin Said, who had from early on predicted the vital importance of Oman to have good relations with western allies (including the US) & the same time retain neibhoring bonds in the Arab world, led the nation into unusual neutrality & established a non-interferingpolicy, called "friends to all, enemies to none". This policy both provided the Sultanate a long period of peace & prosperity and safeguarded important strategic relations with different signed global powers; with the southeastern arab peninsular Sultanate, content of Hormuz strait, often acting as a mediator between "natural enemies". Brokening the US-Iranian nuclear deal in 2015 was such a case. Sultan Qaboos in addition deared very much to multinational leagues & international organisations; Oman became the first Gulf nation to join the UN, & its founding father was a founding member of GCC (Gulf Cooperation Council).
Sultan Qaboos (left) with KSA' King Abdullah & other GCCVIP' members
Arab Spring-related protests; early March 2011
The Sultan's absolute rule was met with aspires of a progressive approach of several social issues. In a carefulbalancing act, like the one he played on diplomatic level, His Majesty mastered a hybrid system of bicameral parliament, a part of which is elected under his supervision, and pioneeringly provided equal opportunities to women to be appointed on top executive offices (although such appointments were carried out by him). His authoritarian rule was softened, in comparison to other Middle Eastern monarchies, due to prosperity the nation enjoyed & less severe retaliation to the oppositionals. There were, however, periods of unrest, when in 2011, protests took place against corrupted officials & minimal wages. They were inspired by the Arab Spring wave, though unlike elsewhere people didn't openly protest against Qaboos, whose nation building legacy is customary overweighting.
Qaboos bin Said Al-Said in a full-of-decorations uniform
Sultan Qaboos Grand Mosque in Muscat, Oman
Apart from being recognised about leading his nation toward a new path in the world, Sultan Qaboos became also popular for his efforts to connect Oman's deep-rooted culture with western customs, in a common mosaic, such large as the largest carpet in the world, on which He first prayed at the inauguration of his namesake, Sultan Qaboos Grand Mosque, on May 4, 2001. This masterpiece of the Islamic Architecture, is the metropolis of Prophet Muhammad' religion's oldest, Ibadi branch (to which Oman's Al Bushaidi dynasty is adherent). Nonthenless the Sultanate of Oman became the first Arab country to have its Opera! Qaboos - who was a passionate in classical music & himself played pipe organ and the lute - ordered the launching of the Royal Opera House in (capital) Muscat, which was completed in 2011 - though not without protest by the most conservative branches of religious people (whatsoever less influensive than him).
Among the charities he chaired, is the Sultan Qaboos Prize for Environmental Preservation, donated by UNESCO.
The Sultan, with authentic multi-layered turbans, resembling to the historic Arab Sultans of whom no one else remains, was less "colourful" in his personal life. Qaboos bin Said had married to his first cousin Say'yida Nawwal bint Tariq Al-Said, commonly known as Kamila, on 22 March 1976. This marriage however, didn't produce any children & the Sultan divorsed his royal consort (who has since remarried) in 1979. He remained unmarried for the rest of his life, and the public was not prohibited to openly discuss about his successor, which was made a taboo, as some dreamed for Qaboos "to live forever". Eventually in the constitution-alike basic stature of State he drafted in the 1990s, succession process relied upon the Royal family Council, which had three days to choose the next monarch once the throne falls vacant; should they fail or disagree, the Defence Council would be called upon the mandatory to announce Sultan Qaboos' preferable choice, which was secretly recorded to two stamped enveloped testament documents, to be opened after His Majesty's death. Eventually, the royal family preferred to open them immediately with successor-designate, Haitham bin Tariq, being Kamila's brother.
UK Regnal Couple's official visit to Oman in 2010
Sultan Qaboos bin Said celebrated the milestones of his reign with nationwide parades on Oman's national day, which falls on his birthday (each November 18). He presided over the parading stadium, usually dressed into military uniforms. His Ruby Jubilee / 40 years of reign was particularly marked with Britain's Queen Elizabeth II & Prince Philip visiting Oman and participating into celebrations. Nobody knows how much more may have been expected should have he lived to his Golden anniversary & 80th birthday, later into this year. Since as early as 2014, His Majesty reduced his public appearances & began receiving intense treatments first in Germany, very later in Belgium, reportedly for colon cancer. Qaboos' condition was never disclosed, though his terminal illness along preparations for "a baroque succession" were leak to some foreign media, when he return to his homeland for the last time, past December. At the time of his death on January 10, 2020, His late Majesty was the world's third longest-reigning Sovereign monarch, behind Queen Elizabeth II & Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah of Brunei. He had also become the longest-serving state leader in the Arab world.
Sultan Qaboos' flag-drapped coffin carried for funeral prayers
Scores visiting Al-Alam palace to offer condolences for Qaboos
HMSay'yidQaboos bin Sa'id Al Said (18.11.1940 - 10.01.2020); Sultan of Oman (23.07.1970-10.01.2020).
Envelops of Sultan Qaboos' chosen successor opened - Jan. 11
Following the demise of Sultan Qaboos bin Said Al Said on Friday, January 10 (2020) night, the Royal Family of Oman was called by its Defence Council for an emergency meeting the next morning to name a heir. The deceased Sovereign didn't have children or brothers & the Royal Family Council had three days to choose his successor. However, they opted to open the two enveloped letters with the late Sultan's preference, for the case they would disagree.
The late Sultan Qaboos bin Said Al-Said (1940 - 2020; reigned: 1970-2020)
Enthroned Sultan Haitham bin Tariq Al-Said'sfirst speech
Thus the Defence Council opened the sealed envelops (which were kept in different palaces for security reasons) & revealed His late Majesty's successor: HH Say'yidHaitham bin Tariq bin Taimur al Muazzam (Al Said). Haitham bin Tariq accepted & took his oath of officeon that Saturday morning, 11 January 2020, before the emergency session of the (bicameral) Council of Oman at its Al-Bustan headquarters. In his first speech as an enthroned monarch, HM the new Sultan promised to follow the path of his late predecessor, and so continue to keep Oman neutral from surrounding Middle East conflicts & a stable mediator in the region (& influencial powers).
Haitham bin Tariq Al Said had been viewed as a potential candidate to the throne, though his half-brother Assa'ad bin Tariq bin Teimur was more popular (in his capacity as Deputy Prime Minister). A son of Prime Minister Say'yid Tariq bin Taimur (1921-1980), Haitham is the first cousin of Sultan Qaboos (1940-2020) & brother to his former wife (1976-79) Nawal [Kamila (b. 1951)]. He is married to Say'yida Ahad Al-Busa'idiyah, daughter of former Ambassador to Egypt, & has 4 children, two sons & two daughters.
Born on 13 October 1954, the 65-year-old enthroned Head of State is an Oxford graduate in Foreign Service (1979), sports' enthusiast, who was the first to lead the newly founded Omani Football Assossiation in the early 1980s. Appointed to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs from his very youth, first as an undersecretary (1986-94) & then as its Secretary-General (1994-2002), Haitham bin Tariq also held the position of Minister of Culture & Heritage. A very familiar with financial affairs he recently chaired the 'Vision 2040' of Oman's future sustainable development & was the chief host of officials, royals & other formal delegations from abroad.
Future Sultan Haitham receives Britain's heir apparent
After his formal accession at Al-Bustan - behind closed doors, though broadcasted on national TV later that day - Sultan Haitham received his first honorary 21-gun-salute as Sovereign Head of State in a platform outdoors, with the national anthem played. Then he changed the customary colourful turban & gold-trimmed robes of Sultan to white, more sombre clothes to participate in his predecessor's funeral. His Majesty received delegations of officials & ordinary people, offering greetings on his accession & condolences for Sultan Qaboos, during the next three days at Al-Alam palace. He also takes over as Prime Minister, Defence, Finance, & Foreign Minister; forging to the task to preserve the footsteps of previous Ruler & also continue pushing the nation forward in the 21st century, amid difficulties & lower oil prices.
HRH Infanta Doña Pilar, Duchess of Badajoz has died at the age of 83. The older sister of former King Juan Carlos & oldest member of Spanish Royal family had been hospitalized with severe bronhitis on January 5 (her brother's 82nd birthday) before her condition deteriorated. The princess succumbed to the illness at ~14:00 of January 8, 2020, with her immune system weakened by colon cancer she was treated for in past year; her surviving siblings, brother & sister (Infanta Margarita) visited her in the last hours.
Former Queen Sofia visits Infanta Pilar hours before her death
DoñaMaría del Pilar Alfonsa Juana Victoria Luisa Ignacia y Todos los Santos de Borbón y Borbón was born on 30 July 1936 in Cannes, France. Her parents, former Spanish Infante Juan (1913-1993), Count of Barcelona (third son & heir of exiled King Alfonso XIII) & Princess Maria de las Mercedes of Bourbon-Two Sicilies (1910-2000), had married in 1935. She had three younger siblings: Juan Carlos (b. 1938), Margarita (b. 1939) & Alfonso (1942-1956).
Infanta Pilar (far right) with her future husband (far left) & The Sovereign Princely Couple of Monaco between them
Pilar grew up in exile in Italy, Switzerland & Portugal, under the strong guidance of her father, who wanted his children to restore monarchy in Spain. She attended school at Estoril (Portugal) & took courses at a nursing school in Lisbon. Receiving a proper aristocratic education for the time, she was involved in music, sports, charities, & spoke four more languages apart her native Spanish. Her parents wished to arrange a dynastical marriage for her eldest child with one of Europe's monarchs - like King Baudouin of Belgium, who married Fabiola de Mora y Aragón in 1960.
Doña Pilar met her future husband, Luis Gómez Acebo - Duke of Estrada, 2ndViscount of La Torre - in ~1965 at the home of their joint cousins, former Tsar (King) Simeon II of Bulgaria & 'Tsaritsa' Doña Margarita (nee Gómez-Acebo). She married him on 5 May 1967 at Jerónimos Monastery in Portugal. This marriage (to a non-royal) was considered as morganatic, and thus Pilar renounced her potential rights of succession should monarchy be restored (that actually happened in 1975, with her brother succeeding dictator Francisco Franco as King Juan Carlos I). Louis & Pilar had five children, born between 1968 & 1974. He died of lymphatic cancer in 1991. Pilar lived to see 11 grandchildren from all her children.
With her husband Don Luis (1934-1991) & their five children: Simoneta (*1968), Juan (*1969), Bruno (*1971), Beltrán (*1973) & Fernando (*1974)
Pilar was granted the title of Infanta (used to determine the status of Spanish monarchs' legal children) in 1987, although her father gave up his claim in favor of Juan Carlos ten years earlier. A great admirer of sports & riding, she served as President of International Equestrian Federation from 1994 to 2006, being also a honorary IOC member for Spain (1996-2006). Dona Pilar also supported numerous charities related to children, sponsored to cultural heritage organisations & attended bullfights with great enthusiasm.
In her later years, the infanta became a loving epicentre of her family. She liked family gatherings & her 80th birthday in 2016 was celebrated with a large reunion of three generations of Bourbóns in Palma de Mallorca. Her Royal Highness was moreover known for her simplicity & down-to-the-earth approach of ordinary people & media. To the latter, she even didn't hesitate to respond directly about issues that concerned her (including claims of her nephew, current King Felipe VI being mistreated by them).
Attending bullfight with her brother Juan Carlos (2/06/2019)
Infanta Pilar - the pillar of her family's union - continued her public appearances even after revealing her serious dicease last May - & despite some series of hospitalizations since then. She was last seen attending a bullfight by the side of her brother King Juan Carlos on 2 June 2019, the latter's last public engagement before retirement from public life, 5 years on day after he announced his abdication.
Her death at Madrid's Ruber International Hospital, though imminent, was met with deep outpouring of saddness from the entire Spanish Royal family. The same (Wednesday) evening, a wake for the deceased at her residence, was attended by her siblings, Sovereign nephew & nieces, their children & more close friends, with royalty & nobility included. Tsar Simeon Saxe-Coburg-Gotha & 'Tsaritsa' Margarita (who recently had turned 85) joined them the next morning (January 9), when Pilar's flag-drapped coffin was moved to a funeral chapel for a short service, before it was cremated. Her ashes were laid to rest the a day later next to her husband in Saint Isidore cemetery, in absolute privacy.
King Felipe VI, Queen Letizia & Infanta Pilar's son Fernando (left)
Usually members of Spanish Royal family are buried in a royal crypt at El Escorial. Here, a more noticed official funeral mass will take place in her memory within the next few weeks/month(s). It is expected that even more royals will be gathered than those who bade her last week's emotional farewell.
Pilar (1936-2020) inherited her husband's titles & was also known as (Dowager) Viscountess de la Torre. The Duchy of Badajoz was symbolically confered upon HRH before her wedding by her father.
A previous dedication to Pilar's younger sister's 80th birthday, last year:
The longest-servingSovereign of the Arab worldhas died at the age of 79. HM Sultan Qaboos bin Said Al-Said passed away on Friday night 10 January 2020, after nearly 50 years of absolute rule, which shaped Oman's modern history & turned it into a wealthy tourist destination inwards & a neutral centre of stability outwards. The third longest-reigning monarch worldwide didn't leave a direct heir, but an enveloped preferation, in case the royal family would disagree on the appointment of his successor. He was mourned nationwide.
Sultan Qaboos (1940 - 2020) reigned for almost 50 years from July 1970.
The Sultan had never made public his exact health condition. To talk about potential succession was seen as a taboo in Oman. However, since at least 2015 it was known that he undertook treatment for extensive periods in Germany & Belgium. Reportedly Sultan Qaboos was suffering from colon cancer & severe diabetes. In December 2019 he went to Brussels for medical checkup, for "a limited period of time". But his treatment was cut short & later the same month the Sultan returned to Oman. Several unconfirmed sources reported that he was in critical condition. Nonethenless, the palace described on Dec. 31 His Majesty's health condition as "stable".
In the early hours of Saturday 11 January 2020, the death of Sultan Qaboos was announced. A statement, issued by the royal court said that it mourns the Sultan with 'great sorrow & deep sadness - yet with complete satisfaction & absolute submission to the will of the Almighty Allah'. No cause of death was made public. Three days of national mourning were announced, with the Omani flags lowered to half-mast for 40 days. The state funeral took place that morning.
Sultan Qaboos' state & nationwide funeral - Saturday 11/01/2020
The late Sultan's body, left Beit al-Baraka palace (where he died) in a flag-drapped coffin, drove by a gun-carriage procession towards Sultan Qaboos Grand Mosque (which he opened in May 2001), for funeral prayers. The ceremony was televised live, though closed to the general public. The entire royal family, including Qaboos' chosen successor, Haitham bin Tariq, were in attendance. Following the (late morning) Ibadi prayers, a van procession followed to the (capital) Muscat's Royal cemetery, crowded by mourners. His late Majesty was laid to rest there at ~12pm, with a 21gun-salute fired the same time. For many Omanis this was an emotional farewell to a father-alike figure, who shaped the nation's modern history & developed Oman in its so-called 'reinassance'.
Qaboos' successor, Haitham bin Tariq (centre) during the funeral
Apart from the people of Oman, Sultan Qaboos was globally recognised for his efforts to retain multilateral relations with conflicting sides across the region & even wider. Leaders of states across the world, continental & international assossiations (EU & UN) sent messages of condolences to the new Sultan, recalling the late ruler's tolerance, pacifist efforts&dialoguical approach among conflicting sides. During the three days of Condolence accepting ceremonies (Sunday 12 - Tuesday 14 January), monarchs from Europe & Asia, royal representatives & leaders from the entire Gulf monarchies (& countries of a wider political spectrum) visited the new Sovereign & expressed their condolences firsthand.
Kuwaiti Amir Sheikh Sabah IV (90) offering condolences
Sultan Haitham receives Qatar's Father Emir Sheikh Hamad
Britain's Prince Charles (Prince of Wales) offers condolences
Prince Moulay Rashid of Morocco condoles the new Sultan
Ruler of Toro (in Uganda) Rukidi IV offers condolences
This is the first part, dedicated to the Royal Succession in Oman - Two more are to follow soon (this will be attached to each of them).
According to the statement, published first by the Sultan's office, His Majesty Sultan Haji HassanAl Bolkiah, Sultan & Yang di-Pertuan of Brunei Darussalam, was pleased to announce the name of his newborn granddaughter. The little Princess' full name is: YAM (HRH) Pengiran Anak (Princess) Khaalishah Mishbaahul Bolqiah binti (daughter of) His Royal Highness Prince 'Abdul Malik. Princess Khaalishah Mishbaahul was born on the 10th of (islamic month) Jammadilawal, 1441 (corresponding to the Gregorian date: 5th January, 2020), at 10:08pm (local time).
The announcement concluded stating that The Sultan & Her Majesty Duli Raja Isteri Pengiran Anak (Queen Consort) Hajah Saleha & the entire House of Bolkiah sincerely thanked those involved in the royal birth, as well as well wishers who extended their congratulations & greetings on the occasion. Khaalishah is the 17th grandchild (& 9th granddaughter) of Their Majesties, but has no rights to the throne due to the Sultanate's salic law of succession.
The baby Princess' grandfather is the second longest-reigning monarch in the world. Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah, 73, took the throne in 1967, and - in ~half a century - oversaw its independence from the UK in 1984, with the state getting wealthy, particularly thanks to its significant oil resourses, which turned its GDP to high levels & promoted tourism. His Majesty, who rules as an absolute monarch, is one of the richest leaders on earth (owing ~US $20bn); he has sometimes sparkled a broad outrage from the west for using the islamic Shariah law, which bans alcohol, homosexuality & several religious practices of dirrerent faifths, and imposes death penalty.
