Malaysia princess Tunku Aminah weds Dutchman in lavish ceremony
- Published
Tunku Tun Aminah Maimunah Iskandariah, 31, wed 28-year-old Dennis Muhammad Abdullah - a Dutch convert to Islam - in public and private ceremonies on Monday.
The main wedding event featured a formal "sitting-in-state" ceremony attended by about 1,200 members of the public, AFP news agency reports. Crowds watched the ceremony on a big screen at Dataran Bandaraya, a city square in Johor Bahru.
She is the only daughter (and the second of six siblings) of Sultan Ibrahim Ismail of Johor. She is seen here receiving a blessing from her father during a wedding function on Monday evening. The newlyweds were also sprinkled with scented water and yellow rice by family members and guests as a mark of approval.
Born Dennis Verbaas in a town near Amsterdam, the bridegroom got a modelling job in Singapore. His father works in a florist's and his mother in a clothes shop. He embraced Islam in 2015 and works for a property development firm in Johor. Previously he was marketing manager of Tampines Rovers Football Club in Singapore.
There had been frantic preparations for the royal nuptials, with the palace grounds being decorated and streets adorned with state flags. Security near the premises was also stepped up.
The royal family of Malaysia's southern Johor state is rich and powerful. It possesses its own army, the only state in the country to have a private military.
Earlier, the couple held a private solemnisation ceremony for family. It was the culmination of a three-year romance - the couple are said to have shared "instant chemistry" after meeting in a Malaysian cafe.
The princess wore an elegant white gown, embellished with sparkling jewellery. In keeping with traditional local customs, the bride was offered a dowry of 22.50 ringgit (£4).
"We will move into our own home and start life anew as husband and wife. It will be the first time I will be living alone and away from my parents and family," the princess said, in a statement released by the Johor Royal Press Office.
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