LIKE wildfire, there is a sudden interest in polo among young Malaysian women at the Kuala Lum-pur Sea Games 2017, including single celebrities, too.
Is it solely because of the sporting event or because of a particular Brunei participant — the young and eligible royalty from a neighbouring country who has been making many hearts aflutter in recent weeks.
Never mind that he is a future heir to one of the world’s richest sovereigns, but armed with good looks, Pengiran Muda Abdul Mateen Ibni Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah became an Internet sensation even before the games began.
A few days after a wefie photo of a young lady with the royalty went viral, it was actress Nur Fathia Abdul Latiff’s turn to snap a shot with the popular prince, who is the sixth in line to the Brunei throne.
Fathia, 29, said she had gone to Putrajaya Equestrian Park with her friend, Tengku Hanis, to watch the polo match between Malaysia and Brunei.
“She is a fan of the sport and when she asked me to tag along, I though, ‘Why not?’.
“Besides, I could show my support for our contingent.
“It was not my intention to go there just to take a photograph with him (Abdul Mateen).
“But, since I was there and had the chance to do so, I guessed it would not hurt to take a wefie with the prince. At least, I could share it with fans who like the handsome prince.”
Fathia uploaded the wefie on Instagram and captioned it: “This is for you girls.”
Some Netizens did not buy into the caption and left snide remarks such as: “Dia ni dan2 la caption for u girls... padahal tengah mencuba nasib... macam orang tak tau pulak.” (Such a caption is only to cover up her real intention of trying her luck to catch the prince’s attention. As if people could not see through it).