Hassanal Bolkiah Muiz'zaddin Wad'daulah (born 15 July 1946) is Sultan of Brunei since 1967, and prime minister of Brunei since its independence from the United Kingdom in 1984. He is one of the few remaining absolute monarchs in the world.
The eldest son of Sultan Omar Ali Saifuddien III and Raja Isteri Pengiran Anak Damit, he is the 29th sultan to ascend to the Bruneian throne, following the abdication of his father in 1967. The sultan has been ranked among the wealthiest individuals in the world. As of 2023, Hassanal Bolkiah is said to have a net worth of $30 billion. He is the world's longest-reigning current monarch and the longest-serving current head of state. On 5 October 2017, Bolkiah celebrated his Golden Jubilee to mark the 50th year of his reign.
Education
He was educated privately and later attended the Victoria Institution in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, and the Royal Military Academy at Sandhurst, England.
His education at the Istana Darul Hana Surau began in the latter part of 1955 and finished in the first week of 1959. Abdul Ghani bin Jamil revealed in an interview that in addition to Hassanal Bolkiah, among the students at the surau were Prince Mohamed Bolkiah, Princess Masna Bolkiah, Princess Nor'ain, Pengiran Anak Saleha, Pengiran Muda Abdul Rahman, Pengiran Anak Yusof, Pengiran Anak Puteh, Pengiran Anak Ja'afar, and Pengiran Muda Apong. They range in age from five to ten years old, with Abdul Ghani stating that Hassanal Bolkiah is the oldest by far.