In this Malay name, there is no surname or family name. The name Hassanal Bolkiah is a patronymic, and the person should be referred to by their given name, 'Azemah Ni'matul Bolkiah. The word "bin" or "binti"/"binte" means 'son of' or 'daughter of', respectively.
Azemah Ni'matul Bolkiah (born 26 September 1984) is a polo player and princess of Brunei.[1] She is the eighth child of Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah of Brunei by his former second wife, Puan Hajah Mariam. She made a name for herself in 2017 when she was one of only two female polo players from Brunei in Kuala Lumpur at the 29th Southeast Asian (SEA) Games. As one of the ten ASEAN Women in Sports ambassadors in 2021, Princess Azemah was chosen to represent Brunei as part of the ASEAN #WeScore campaign, which is sponsored by Japan.[2][3]
Known to be the Sultan's athletic daughter, she shares her father's passion for polo. She tells Tatler Malaysia that she participated in after-school athletic team competitions throughout her early school years, and that she started riding and show jumping at the age of four. She didn't start playing polo until she was a law student at the University of Warwick.[2]
Azemah made up for her lack of expertise at first by her unwavering dedication to her training and discipline. This occurred during a period when men dominated the polo field, particularly in Brunei where there weren't many female participants. Thus, Castagnola Marianela became her coach. In the end, she was selected for the Brunei National Polo Team. At the 45' Torneo Internacional de Polo Sotogrande in Spain in 2016, Princess Azemah made her debut representing Brunei on a distinguished platform. Her team's victory in the Silver Cup cemented Brunei's renown as a leading international polo player.[2]
Princess Azemah made her national polo team debut during the 2017 SEA Games at the Putrajaya Equestrian Centre, on 22 August 2017.[6] Her team concluded the tournament with bronze and alongside her team received cash incentive through the government’s Sports Excellence Incentive Scheme.[7][8] On 30 August 2017, she attended the 29th SEA Games awards ceremony held at the Putrajaya Equestrian Park in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, during which she received a bronze medal, after her polo team won against Singapore.[9]
Together with her brother, Prince Mateen, she played in the 2019 SEA Games in Calatagan.[10] They finished Bronze in that tournament.[11] At both SEA Games, she became the first female competitor from Brunei to earn a medal.[12]
In an announcement made by ASEAN on 1 December 2021, Princess 'Azemah was among the ten sports ambassadors selected to promote gender equality prior to the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.[13]
The Brunei polo team defeated Malaysia 7–4 to win the gold medal in the 0-2 handicap division at the 30th SEA Games in the Philippines. Princess Azemah, the team captain, guided the Brunei polo team to triumph once more at the first Agong's Cup in October 2023 at the Putrajaya Equestrian Park. Her team defeated the Jogo Polo team 7–5.[2]
Princess Azemah played in the 2024 Charity Polo Tournament on 23 June 2024, at the Royal Brunei Polo and Riding Club, in Jerudong. On the same team as her was her brother, Prince Abdul Mateen. Their team, the LIONS, was crowned champion.[14] On 13 July 2024, Princess Azemah competed in the finals of Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah's Polo Cup 2024 at the Royal Brunei Polo and Riding Club. Although the team she captained (the Brunei Polo Team) lost to the team led by her brother Prince Abdul Mateen (the MB Polo Team), she still received an award from the Sultan.[15][16]
Public service
Azemah at the wedding procession of Prince Abdul Mateen; January 2024
On 17 April 2016, Princess Azemah presented the awards after the 2016 Brunei Women's Run at the Jerudong Park, congratulating the women on the podium.[24]
On 19 June 2017, Princess Azemah represented her father Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah in delivering gifts to the population of the Belait District; the Princess gave the gifts to those present and congratulated them.[25] On 28 October 2017, she attended the launch of the Ehsan Center charity sale and visited the exhibitions and sales of the bazaars present in the headquarters of the center, in Bandar Seri Begawan.[26]
On 24 February 2018, she attended the 34th National Day Parade in Bandar Seri Begawan, leading the population during the parade.[citation needed] On 27 February 2018, she attended the opening ceremony of the Shine Cycle Studio, a one-stop fitness center that caters to all ages, located in Bandar Seri Begawan, as her owner.[27] On 19 March 2018, she attended and presented the Brunei Ladies Open Champion Trophy to Hong Ran from South Korea.[28] In May 2018, she launched "Shine Cycle", the country's first indoor fitness and cycling boutique: Princess Azemah is eager to help Bruneans adopt a healthy lifestyle.[29] On 19 June 2018, Princess Azemah welcomed women at Istana Nurul Iman who had come on pilgrimage to greet the Royal Family.[30]
On 28 May 2019, Azemah handed over the proceeds of the Charity Polo Day 2019 to the Brunei Darussalam Polo Team during a ceremony held at Istana Nurul Izzah, Kampong Jerudong.[31] On 30 May 2019, she and her half-sister Princess Hafizah attended the ceremony of delivering personal gifts to deserving people in the Brunei–Muara District; the two Princesses presented the gifts and congratulated the people who received them.[32]
On 25 July 2022, she handed proceeds from the special screening of the documentary "Prince Azim: Son of the Arts" (about her late brother Prince Abdul Azim, who passed away in 2020) to four charity bodies at Istana Nurul Izzah in Jerudong; Princess Fadzilah and Prince Abdul Mateen, her sister and brother, also attended the event.[33] On 18 October 2022, she attended the ceremony for the delivery of the proceeds of the Charity Polo Day 2022 ($135,819) to the Ehsan Al-Ameerah Al-Hajjah Maryam Center at Istana Nurul Izzah.[34]
On 12 June 2024, Azemah received the honorary medal of the State of Brunei on the occasion of her father's birthday, in a cerimony held at Istana Nurul Iman.[37] On 28 June 2024, she attended a Charity Football Match aimed at supporting children with disabilities at the Hassanal Bolkiah Stadium in Berakas.[38] On 4 July 2024, she attended the inauguration ceremony of the Al-Ameerah Al-Hajjah Maryam school, the first school dedicated to students with special needs in Brunei, accompanied by her husband Pengiran Muda Bahar, Prince Abdul Mateen, and Anisha Rosnah.[39] She was among the Royal guests at the Installation of Yang di-Pertuan Agong XVII, Sultan Ibrahim of Johor, on 20 July 2024, in a ceremony held in Istana Negara.[40]
Wedding
Princess Azemah's royal marriage to her first cousin,[41] Pengiran Muda Bahar was proclaimed by the Chief of Adat Istiadat, per the orders of Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah. Her husband is a son of the Sultan's younger brother, Prince Jefri Bolkiah.[42] On 8 January 2023, the Majlis Istiadat Bersuruh Diraja would kick off the week-long celebrations.[41] The royal pair wed at the Majlis Istiadat Akad Nikah Diraja on the 12th, and then on the 15th, in the Majlis Istiadat Bersanding Pengantin Diraja. The national flag must always be flown by all citizens and residents from the day Gendang Jaga-Jaga opens on the 9th until it closes on the 17th. Radio Television Brunei (RTB), the official broadcaster, announced the royal wedding.[43] Among the attendees were Tengku Hassanal Ibrahim[44] and Tunku Idris Iskandar.[45]
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