Raja Permaisuri Agong's Late Grandfather Sneakily Helped Her Meet The King As Teens
The royal couple have been married for 33 years.
Tunku Hajah Azizah Aminah Maimunah Iskandariah will officially assume her position as Raja Permaisuri Agong tomorrow, 30 July
Image via Malay Mail
Ahead of Yang di-Pertuan Agong Al-Sultan Abdullah Ri'ayatuddin Al-Mustafa Billah Shah's coronation, his wife of 33 years spoke to media for the first time since becoming the "First Lady of Malaysia".
Her Majesty told Bernama how the royal couple's love story began while she was a young Johor princess and he was a young Pahang prince.
Image via Bernama
The royal couple's first meeting took place 13 years before they were married.
"The first time I met Tuanku I was 12 and Tuanku was 13," Tunku Azizah shared.
The daughter of the late Sultan Iskandar Sultan Ismail of Johor told reporters that her father was "very strict and old school", which meant that there was "no such thing as dating".
"My father would tell us that the children of other people could go on dates. He said they could even meet by the roadside because people won't say anything. He told me, 'You're the daughter of the sultan and granddaughter of a sultan too. Whatever it is you do, the whole of Johor will talk about it," Her Majesty said.
He emphasised to his four children that when it comes to relationships, they must always protect their dignity.
After meeting as pre-teens, Tunku Azizah and Sultan Abdullah sent each other letters in an effort to keep in touch
However, the pair could not express their love for each other like an ordinary couple would as the princess' actions were closely watched.
Her Majesty explained that any letter that she received would be "vetted" by her father before it came to her hands.
As such, the couple's relationship was kept within the boundaries of the royal families of Pahang and Johor.
However, Tunku Azizah's grandfather - the late Sultan Ismail - encouraged a courtship.
"My grandfather knew my father was strict when it came to romantic relationships and also knew I could not go on dates," Her Majesty shared.
"So he requested Tuanku, who was then the Tengku Mahkota Pahang, to come to Johor for a game of polo... My grandfather then told me to come to the polo field so that I could get a chance to meet Tuanku," she recalled to Bernama.
According to Malay Mail, the royal elders had eagerly anticipated a union, as it would give a boost to the kinship between the Pahang and Johor royal families.
This is because the families come from the lineage of Sultan Abdul Jalil, whose two sons were once rulers of Pahang and Johor.
When Tunku Azizah was 21 years old, Sultan Ismail asked her when she planned to tie the knot.
"I told him, 'Who to get married to? I don't have a boyfriend'. Then, my grandfather said he knew I had a boyfriend from Pahang," she said.
Her Majesty added that, "I asked how could I get married when no one asked for my hand. I was then 21 years old and Tuanku was 22 years old. My grandfather then told me he wanted to see me getting married."
However, Sultan Ismail passed away three weeks after the conversation.
Five years later, in 1986, she married the Crown Prince of Pahang at the Sultan Abu Bakar State Mosque in Johor Bahru.
Image via theAsianparent Malaysia
The couple have four sons and two daughters together; Yang Mulia Tengku Amir Ibrahim Shah, Yang Amat Mulia Tengku Mahkota Pahang Tengku Hasanal Ibrahim Alam Shah, Yang Mulia Tengku Muhamad Iskandar Ri'ayatuddin Shah, Yang Mulia Tengku Ahmad Ismail Muadzam Shah, Yang Mulia Puteri Afzan Aminah Hafizatullah, and Yang Mulia Tengku Puteri Jihan Azizah Athiyatullah.
Last month, the day of the Agong's coronation was declared a public holiday:
The King has made headlines this year for several acts of humility:
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