Malaysia crowns its new BILLIONAIRE king, who owns 300 luxury cars, fleet of private jets and his own ARMY

Malaysia crowns its new BILLIONAIRE king, who owns 300 luxury cars, fleet of private jets and his own ARMY

 

Malaysia has a new king – a private jet-flying, luxury car-driving, social media-loving billionaire who delights in flashing his wealth and has promised to deliver a wake-up call to the nation’s government for good measure.

Sultan Ibrahim Iskandar, 65, was sworn in as the nation’s new king this morning under a unique rotating monarchy system which sees the rulers of nine Malaysian states take turns as monarch for five-year terms.

Now known as the Yang Di-Pertuan Agong, or ‘He Who is Made Lord’, the Sultan boasts an estate estimated to be worth some £4.5billion, according to Bloomberg – but his real wealth is thought to be far greater.

That is thanks in part to his extensive business empire that ranges from real estate to telecoms and power plants, not to mention huge holdings in foreign property and stakes in various other companies.

His fleet of private jets is rivalled only by his collection of some 300 luxury cars, including one said to have been a gift from none other than Adolf Hitler – an acquaintance of one of his predecessors.

And any nefarious party attempting to dispute the monarchy would face the wrath of the Sultan’s very own private army.

But the monarch is the nominal head of the government and armed forces, and is highly regarded as the protector of Islam and Malay tradition.

Sultan Ibrahim’s mother was born in Cornwall, and his wife Raja Zarith Sofiah is an Oxford University graduate.

Sofiah, 64, is no less interesting than the outspoken motorcycle-riding ruler with whom she shares six children.

The new Queen of Malaysia, dubbed the ‘Queen of Hearts’ by local media thanks to her charitable endeavours, was born into another Malay royal family.

She can speak five languages, is a strong advocate for improving the use of English in Malaysia, and is a prolific writer who has authored four children’s books and also contributes to a newspaper column.