Brunei royal stripped of all titles following ‘unbecoming’ behaviour

Pengiran Raabi’atul Adawiyyah of Brunei was stripped of all of her royal titles last week following a decree issued by the Sultan of Brunei. Pengiran is married to Prince Abdul Malik, who is fourth in line to the Brunei throne.

The Office of the Grand Chamberlain confirmed on 7 August that the move had been carried out. A statement said that “the revocation was carried out following conduct by Pengiran Raabi’atul Adawiyyah that was deemed unbecoming of a spouse of a member of the royal family. Her actions were also found to have tarnished the monarchy’s good name and demonstrated a lack of respect towards Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah“.

It has not been revealed what exactly the 33-year-old did to prompt the move.

The former princess married Prince Abdul Malik in a ten-day ceremony held between 5 April and 16 April in 2015. The couple have since welcomed four children, Princess Muthee’ah, ten, Princess Fathiyyah, eight, Princess Khaalishah, six, and Princess Nabeelah, 16 months. The royal children’s titles are unaffected.

The Sultan of Brunei has previously stripped two of his wives of their titles, but this came following their divorce. Neither Abdul Malik nor Pengiran has announced they are seeking an end to their marriage.

Stripping of royal titles

The stripping of royal titles has become commonplace in recent years. Several Scandinavian monarchies have removed the titles of royals who weren’t born to the heir to the throne. In both instances, it was claimed that a lack of titles would help the royals, who are unlikely to ascend to the throne or carry out official duties, to have normal lives.

Meanwhile, in the UK, Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor and Sarah Ferguson were stripped of their titles following further revelations about their friendship with the convicted paedophile Jeffrey Epstein.

Andrew and Sarah both lost their Duke and Duchess of York titles, while Andrew also lost his HRH and princely titles. An entry in the Letters Patent on 3 November 2025 read: “THE KING has been pleased by Letters Patent under the Great Seal of the Realm dated 3 November 2025 to declare that Andrew Mountbatten Windsor shall no longer be entitled to hold and enjoy the style, title or attribute of ‘Royal Highness’ and the titular dignity of ‘Prince’.”

As with Pengiran, Andrew and Sarah’s children, Princess Eugenie and Princess Beatrice, weren’t affected by the decision. However, the royal sisters have seen their popularity plummet in the wake of the scandal involving their parents.