![\"Pics:](\"https:\/\/c.ndtvimg.com\/2024-01\/bl12pbng_abdul-mateen-_625x300_12_January_24.jpeg\"\/ "\\"Pics:")
<\/div>\nHe is unlikely to ever ascend the throne of the oil-rich country.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
Bandar Seri Begawan: <\/b><\/p>\n
In real life he’s a prince of an Islamic sultanate steeped in centuries-old traditions, but on Instagram Brunei’s Abdul Mateen is more Hollywood than royalty as he flies in fighter jets, drives speed boats and poses bare-chested after workouts.<\/p>\n
Mateen, 32, was one of Asia’s most eligible bachelors until he married his 29-year-old fiancee on Thursday in a male-only ceremony at a mosque in the capital Bandar Seri Begawan.\u00a0<\/p>\n
As the 10th child and fourth son of Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah, he is unlikely to ever ascend the throne of the oil-rich country on the northern edge of Borneo island.<\/p>\n
![\"Image](\"https:\/\/c.ndtvimg.com\/2024-01\/5c389h78_abdul-mateen-_625x300_12_January_24.jpg\" "\\"Image")
<\/div>\nImage posted on Instagram by @Mateen<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
Yet, Mateen’s matinee idol looks, rippling six-pack and sense of adventure — captured in photos and videos that are carefully curated on Instagram — have turned him into a public relations asset for the royal family, which has been battered by scandals and global censure over the years.<\/p>\n
“He’s a breath of fresh air,” said Bruneian snack store worker Amyra Syahira Awang Ahmad, 20, who is among Mateen’s 2.5 million Instagram followers.<\/p>\n
A pre-wedding photo of Mateen and his fiancee, Yang Mulia Anisha Rosnah, posted on Instagram on December 31 shows him wearing an open-neck white shirt under a dark, double-breasted blazer, while she is in a cream pantsuit and no hijab.<\/p>\n
![\"Image](\"https:\/\/c.ndtvimg.com\/2024-01\/jnu6anjg_abdul-mateen-_625x300_12_January_24.jpg\" "\\"Image")
<\/div>\nImage posted on Instagram by @Mateen<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
It drew more than 11,000 comments with some smitten followers lamenting that 2024 was starting with “heartbreak” — a reference to their own rather than the prince’s.<\/p>\n
The photo appears to be part of an effort to burnish a more modern image of the conservative country — and make the royal family relevant to a younger generation of Bruneians that has grown up on social media.<\/p>\n
“Prince Mateen would be what I describe as an important youth change-maker in Brunei society,” said Mustafa Izzuddin, a visiting professor of international relations at the Islamic University of Indonesia.<\/p>\n
“You can call him a cultural Instagrammer because he is adept at connecting with the younger folk,” he told AFP.<\/p>\n
![\"Image](\"https:\/\/c.ndtvimg.com\/2024-01\/2uolq6t_abdul-mateen-_625x300_12_January_24.jpg\" "\\"Image")
<\/div>\nImage posted on Instagram by @Mateen<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
“The current generation have different interests, values and preferences.”<\/p>\n
– Winning hearts and minds –\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n After more than five decades on the throne, the 77-year-old sultan needed to “refresh the social contract” between himself and his 450,000 subjects, said Izzuddin.<\/p>\n The absolute monarchy has seen its reputation tarnished in recent decades.\u00a0<\/p>\n There was a spectacular falling out between the sultan and his playboy younger brother Prince Jefri Bolkiah over allegations that Jefri had embezzled billions during his time as finance minister in the 1990s.<\/p>\n Image posted on Instagram by @Mateen<\/p>\n<\/div>\n The country also faced a global backlash in 2019 when sharia law was added to its penal code, allowing for death by stoning and amputations of limbs for certain crimes.<\/p>\n The code, however, has not been actively enforced after an outcry from celebrities, the United Nations and rights campaigners.<\/p>\n Mateen, who often accompanies his father on official visits abroad wearing Western-style suits, appears to be leading the way in winning over young hearts and minds.<\/p>\n His public profile has exploded on Instagram with posts showing him playing polo, boxing in a ring, dabbling in photography, and posing in military uniform. \u00a0<\/p>\n One video shows the prince — who is a helicopter pilot in his country’s air force and also trained in the special forces — flying in a F\/A 18 Super Hornet warplane.\u00a0<\/p>\n It generated more than 250,000 likes and a comparison to “Top Gun” star Tom Cruise. \u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n Other photos of Mateen’s well-chiselled upper body have drawn as many as more than half a million likes — and countless heart and lovestruck emojis.<\/p>\n “Hi James Bond 007!” one admirer commented on a photo of Mateen walking bare-chested on a beach, with a jet ski and speedboat visible in the background.<\/p>\n University student Nazatul Izzati Saifulrizal, 19, proudly showed AFP a selfie she took with the prince, who she described as down-to-earth.<\/p>\n “He asked me about my studies… he asked about my family background,” she said, adding she felt “touched” by the gesture. \u00a0<\/p>\n (Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)<\/i><\/p>\n<\/div>\n![\"Image](\"https:\/\/c.ndtvimg.com\/2024-01\/mjeb23dg_abdul-mateen-_625x300_12_January_24.jpg\" "\\"Image")
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