Sultan of Brunei & Mariam Aziz: The Flight Attendant Who Married a $30 Billion Sultan — Then Lost Everything
She was a flight attendant who became a queen — then was stripped of her title and erased from royal history
Key Facts
What Happened
Mariam Abdul Aziz was a Royal Brunei Airlines flight attendant when she caught the eye of Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah, one of the wealthiest people on Earth with a personal fortune estimated at $30 billion. In October 1981, she became his second wife in a private ceremony — polygamy being both legal and culturally accepted in the Islamic monarchy of Brunei. For over two decades, Mariam was a prominent figure in the royal court, bearing four children including Prince Azim, who would later become a fixture in Hollywood social circles.
The marriage existed in the shadow of extraordinary excess. The Sultan's brother, Prince Jefri Bolkiah, was accused of spending $15 billion of state funds on a lifestyle that included a collection of 2,300 cars, a $1.5 billion theme park, and a yacht named 'Tits' with two smaller tenders called 'Nipple 1' and 'Nipple 2.' While the Jefri scandal consumed Brunei's international reputation, Mariam's marriage was quietly unraveling. In February 2003, the Sultan formally divorced Mariam, stripping her of her royal title 'Pengiran Isteri' (Royal Consort).
The divorce settlement has never been officially confirmed, but international media reported it at approximately £4 billion ($5-6 billion at the time), which would make it one of the largest divorce settlements in world history. However, subsequent reports suggest Mariam may have lost much of this settlement to a self-proclaimed spiritual healer or 'seer' who reportedly defrauded her of hundreds of millions of dollars through elaborate spiritual rituals and false promises. Their son Prince Azim, who had become known for hosting lavish Hollywood parties attended by A-list celebrities, died in October 2020 at age 38 from multiple organ failure caused by severe vasculitis.
Brunei operates under a dual legal system: Sharia law for Muslims and common law (inherited from British colonial rule) for civil matters. The Sultan, as an absolute monarch, is not subject to either. His divorce from Mariam was conducted under Islamic law, where a husband can initiate divorce through talaq (repudiation). The wife's consent is not required. There is no independent judiciary to oversee the process, no public filing, and no mechanism for the wife to challenge the terms. Mariam's case illustrates the ultimate imbalance of power in divorce: when your spouse is both the husband and the head of state.
Legal Breakdown: Polygamy, Royal Privilege & Divorce
Talaq: Islamic Unilateral Divorce
Under traditional Islamic law as practiced in Brunei, a husband can divorce his wife by pronouncing talaq (repudiation). While Islamic jurisprudence has various schools of thought on the process (some requiring witnesses, waiting periods, and attempts at reconciliation), the fundamental principle is that the husband can initiate divorce unilaterally. The wife can seek divorce through khula (by returning her mahr/dowry) or through judicial dissolution (faskh), but these require either the husband's agreement or a court order. In Brunei's absolute monarchy, the Sultan is the court.
Divorce in an Absolute Monarchy
Brunei has no separation of powers. The Sultan is head of state, head of government, prime minister, defense minister, finance minister, and the supreme authority on religious matters. There is no independent judiciary that could adjudicate a divorce dispute against the monarch. This creates a situation with no parallel in Western democracies — the divorcing husband literally controls every institution that could oversee the divorce process. The settlement, if any, is entirely at the Sultan's discretion.
Post-Divorce Financial Vulnerability
Even with a reported billion-dollar settlement, Mariam's subsequent financial losses to an alleged spiritual fraudster highlight a critical post-divorce vulnerability: sudden access to large sums of money, combined with emotional devastation and social isolation (she was cut off from the royal court), makes newly divorced individuals targets for financial predators. This pattern repeats across wealth levels — divorced people are disproportionately targeted by romance scams, investment fraud, and 'spiritual advisors' who exploit emotional vulnerability.
What This Means for Your Divorce
- →Understand the legal system that governs your marriage. In countries with Sharia-based family law or monarchical systems, the protections available to divorcing spouses may be fundamentally different from what you expect.
- →A large settlement means nothing if you are not prepared to manage and protect it. Financial literacy and trusted professional advisors are essential after receiving a major divorce settlement.
- →Emotional vulnerability after divorce makes you a target. Be extremely cautious about new relationships, financial advisors, and anyone offering 'spiritual' or emotional solutions that require money.
- →Polygamous marriages create inherent power imbalances. If you are in such an arrangement, understand your legal rights — they vary dramatically by jurisdiction.
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This article is based on publicly available court records, news reports, and legal analysis. It is provided for educational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. No attorney-client relationship is created by reading this content.
Divorce laws vary by jurisdiction. Always consult a licensed attorney in your area before making legal decisions.