In what has become a familiar story, another member of a storied royal family has broken with tradition and married a commoner. This time, it was the turn of the only daughter of the Sultan of Johor, the Malaysian princess Tunku Tun Aminah Maimunah Iskandariah, who married her boyfriend of three years, Dutch-born former model and recent convert to Islam, Dennis Muhammad Abdullah.
The pair, who met at a Malaysian café and described their connection as ‘instant chemistry’, had both public and private ceremonies to celebrate their nuptials yesterday. 1,200 people attended the public ceremony, which was also shown on a big screen at Dataran Bandaraya, a square in Johor Bahru.
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‘We will move into our own home and start life anew as husband and wife,’ the princess said via a statement. ‘It will be the first time I will be living alone and away from my parents and family.’ Her new husband has left his modelling career behind and now works at a property development firm.
Malaysia has an unusual and unique arrangement when it comes to who holds the throne. Each of the nine states has a separate ruler and these take it in turns to rule, swapping every five years. Currently the Sultan of Kelantan is in charge, but he will step down in 2021. The leaders decide amongst themselves who the next ruler will be, making it unlikely that Dennis Muhammad will be the next king. In this way, the princess’s royal status remains unchanged.
The princess’s love story has turned out very differently to that of one of her ancestors, Ibrahim, the Sutlan of Johor in the 1930s. He had a torrid affair with a British showgirl, which only ended when she was killed in a World War II air strike in Canterbury.
In May, Princess Mako of Japan made headlines after she gave up her royal title in order to marry her boyfriend Kei Komuro, a lawyer who she had met while studying at university. Her decision meant she was forfeiting the right to a royal title, which prompted much debate in the country about its antiquated succession laws; the Japanese monarchy is currently facing a severe shortage of male heirs. Her aunt Sayako (previously Princess Nori) also chose love over title, marrying a commoner in 2005.
It’s a similar story in the UK, where Princess Anne, the Queen’s only daughter, was unable to pass on her royal title to her children. This means Peter and Zara Phillips have never been styled as Prince or Princess, in contrast to their cousins Harry, William, Eugenie and Beatrice. Our laws were changed ahead of the birth of Prince George in 2013 to allow first-born daughters priority over any other siblings (or male relatives) in the line of succession. Marrying commoners is becoming pretty routine, too, with Prince William marrying Kate Middleton, Zara Phillips marrying former rugby captain Mike Tindall and Prince Harry’s inevitable wedding to actress Meghan Markle. After all, there just aren't that many suitable aristos out there anymore...
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