Princess Azemah Ni'matul Bolkiah

Azemah Ni'matul Bolkiah (born 26 September 1984) is a polo player and princess of Brunei. She is the eighth child of Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah of Brunei by his former second wife, Puan Hajah Mariam. She made a name for herself in 2017 when she was one of only two female polo players from Brunei in Kuala Lumpur at the 29th Southeast Asian (SEA) Games. As one of the ten ASEAN Women in Sports ambassadors in 2021, Princess Azemah was chosen to represent Brunei as part of the ASEAN #WeScore campaign, which is sponsored by Japan.

Education

Princess Azemah studied at St. Andrew's School. On Thursday, 17 July 2008, she received her bachelor's degree during a convocation ceremony held at Butterworth Hall in Coventry. Warwick University granted her a Bachelor of Laws with Honors. Princess Fadzilah was present for the convocation ceremony.

Sports career

Known to be the Sultan's athletic daughter, she shares her father's passion for polo. She tells Tatler Malaysia that she participated in after-school athletic team competitions throughout her early school years, and that she started riding and show jumping at the age of four. She didn't start playing polo until she was a law student at the University of Warwick.

Azemah made up for her lack of expertise at first by her unwavering dedication to her training and discipline. This occurred during a period when men dominated the polo field, particularly in Brunei where there weren't many female participants. Thus, Castagnola Marianela became her coach. In the end, she was selected for the Brunei National Polo Team. At the 45' Torneo Internacional de Polo Sotogrande in Spain in 2016, Princess Azemah made her debut representing Brunei on a distinguished platform. Her team's victory in the Silver Cup cemented Brunei's renown as a leading international polo player.

Princess Azemah made her national polo team debut during the 2017 SEA Games. Her team concluded the tournament with bronze and alongside her team received cash incentive through the government’s Sports Excellence Incentive Scheme. Together with her brother, Prince Mateen, she played in the 2019 SEA Games in Calatagan. They finished Bronze in that tournament. At both SEA Games, she became the first female competitor from Brunei to earn a medal.

In an announcement made by ASEAN on 1 December 2021, Princess 'Azemah was among the ten sports ambassadors selected to promote gender equality prior to the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.

The Brunei polo team defeated Malaysia 7–4 to win the gold medal in the 0-2 handicap division at the 30th SEA Games in the Philippines. Princess Azemah, the team captain, guided the Brunei polo team to triumph once more at the first Agong's Cup in October 2023 at the Putrajaya Equestrian Park. Her team defeated the Jogo Polo team 7–5.

Public service

Princess Azemah regularly attended charities and national events such as the Silver Jubilee and Golden Jubilee. Moreover, the Princess also promote health related activities. Her siblings included Prince Azim, Princess Fadzilah and Prince Mateen. In 2009, she and Fadzilah played for the Ivy League during the Setia Motors Netball Open Championship at the Hassanal Bolkiah National Sports Complex. On 19 March 2018, she attended and presented the Brunei Ladies Open Champion Trophy to Hong Ran from South Korea.

Wedding

Princess Azemah's royal marriage to her first cousin, Prince Bahar has been proclaimed by the Chief of Adat Istiadat, per the orders of Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah. Her husband is a son of the Sultan's younger brother, Prince Jefri Bolkiah. On 8 January 2023, the Majlis Istiadat Bersuruh Diraja would kick off the week-long celebrations. The royal pair is scheduled to wed at the Majlis Istiadat Akad Nikah Diraja on the 12th, and then on the 15th, in the Majlis Istiadat Bersanding Pengantin Diraja. The national flag must always be flown by all citizens and residents from the day Gendang Jaga-Jaga opens on the 9th until it closes on the 17th. Radio Television Brunei (RTB), the official broadcaster, announced the royal wedding. Among the attendees were Tengku Hassanal Ibrahim and Tunku Idris Iskandar.

Honours

• Royal Family Order of the Crown of Brunei (DKMB)

• Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah Medal (PHBS; 1 August 1968)

• Proclamation of Independence Medal (1997)
• Sultan of Brunei Silver Jubilee Medal (5 October 1992)
• Sultan of Brunei Golden Jubilee Medal (5 October 2017)
• National Day Silver Jubilee Medal (23 February 2009)
• Meritorious Service Medal (PJK; 12 June 2024)

Ancestry

References