PEKAN: Tomorrow is an important date in Pahang's history as it will witness the proclamation of not one, but two royal ascensions.
Tunku Azizah Aminah Maimunah Iskandariah is ascending the state’s throne as the 5th Tengku Ampuan of Pahang, while Tengku Hassanal Ibrahim Alam Shah Al-Sultan Abdullah, as the Tengku Mahkota (Crown Prince) of Pahang.
The proclamation of their ascensions at the Throne Room, Istana Abu Bakar, will also be recorded as the first to be held simultaneously.
Making it more special, Tengku Hassanal will also be proclaimed the Regent of Pahang as his father, the Sultan of Pahang, Al-Sultan Abdullah Ri’ayatuddin Al-Mustafa Billah Shah, will be sworn in as the country’s 16th Yang di-Pertuan Agong on Jan 31.
The last proclamation ceremony of Tengku Mahkota of Pahang was on Oct 23, 1977, when Sultan Abdullah ascended to Tengku Mahkota on July 1, 1975, before being proclaimed as the Regent of Pahang in a separate ceremony on April 28, 1979.
Sultan Abdullah, who was only 20 years old then, was appointed as the Regent of Pahang for five years when his father, Paduka Ayahanda Sultan Ahmad Shah Almarhum Sultan Abu Bakar, was appointed as the 7th Yang di-Pertuan Agong.
Bernama checks at Istana Abu Bakar today found that preparations by the Pahang royal household and all departments involved were still ongoing to ensure smooth running of the event.
Both Sultan Abdullah and Tunku Azizah were also present at the Throne Room to monitor rehearsals for the proclamation ceremony.
Tengku Hassanal, Tengku Muda of Pahang Tengku Abdul Rahman, Tengku Ariff Temenggong of Pahang Tengku Abd Fahd Muadzam Shah, as well as other Pahang princes and princesses were also in attendance.
The state flag has also been placed over dividers along the main road leading to Istana Abu Bakar in this royal town of Pekan.
Born in Istana Stulang, Johor Bahru on Aug 5, 1960, Tunku Azizah is the fourth child of the late Sultan of Johor, Sultan Iskandar Almarhum Sultan Ismail with Enche' Hajah Kalsom Abdullah.
She received her primary education at Sekolah Perempuan Rendah Sultan Ibrahim in Johor Bahru before entering secondary school at Sekolah Tun Fatimah and pursuing her studies in political science and sociology at the National University of Singapore from 1982 to 1983.
She married Sultan Abdullah, who was the then Tengku Mahkota, on March 6, 1986. They have four sons and five daughters.
Tengku Hassanal, born on Sept 17, 1995, at the Tengku Ampuan Afzan Hospital in Kuantan, is the first son of the royal couple.
He received his primary education at Sekolah Rendah St Thomas, Kuantan, and went on to pursue higher education at the Geneva School of Diplomacy and International Relations (GSD), Switzerland, and graduated with a Bachelor’s degree in International relations.
He is currently undergoing military training at the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst in the United Kingdom, the same academy attended by his father in 1978 before being commissioned a Second Lieutenant by Queen Elizabeth in 1980.
-- BERNAMA