King Charles poses for photographs with the Sultan of Brunei during audience at Windsor Castle

• King Charles, 74, had Windsor meeting with Hassanal Bolkiah, Sultan of Brunei
• The Sultan, 76, became longest-serving living monarch following Queen’s death 
• Bolkiah and the Queen met several times and reportedly had a good relationship

King Charles has been photographed with the Sultan of Brunei – the world’s longest serving living monarch – as the two men met for an audience at Windsor Castle today.

The king, 74, donned one of his trademark blue suits for the meeting. He paired the single-breasted two-piece suit with a white shirt, and a blue and white spotted tie.

A folded pocket square, boasting a white background and checked blue pattern, was tucked into his top pocket.

Meanwhile, Darussalam Hassanal Bolkiah, 76, opted for a black two-piece suit, finished with a purple tie and a pocket square that appeared to boast a paisley design. 

King Charles (right) holds an audience with Hassanal Bolkiah, Sultan of Brunei (left) at Windsor Castle today

Although the two men are close in age, they have experienced reigns of radically different lengths.

King Charles, who took the throne following the death of his mother Queen Elizabeth II on September 8, has been the reigning monarch for around three months.

Meanwhile Bolkiah, who took the throne in 1967, has reigned for some 55 years, making him the longest serving living monarch in the world. He took the title following the death of Her Majesty.   

Having come to the throne after her father King George VI’s death in February 1952, the Queen ruled for 70 years and 214 days. 

Despite being of similar ages, King Charles, 74, has been reigning monarch for a much shorter time than Darussalam Hassanal Bolkiah, 76

She was the second longest-serving monarch in the world, behind only France’s Louis XVI, who ruled for 72 years and 110 days between May 14, 1643 and September 1, 1715. 

Unlike the Queen, who did not share her political views during her reign, Bolkiah has also been the Prime Minister of Brunei since the country gained independence from the United Kingdom in 1984, as well as being the country’s Sultan and absolute monarch.  

His reign has also been mired in controversy. He has faced criticism of his country’s human rights record, and questions have been raised over business dealings.

Despite this, Bolkiah has appeared to have enjoyed a close relationship with The Queen. 

Pictured: Queen Elizabeth II, and Haji Hassanal Bolkiah, The Sultan of Brunei, attend a Banquet, during The State visit of Queen Elizabeth ii, and Prince Philip, The Duke of Edinburgh to Brunei, at The Istana Nurul Iman, in Brunei on September 18, 1998 in Brunei

Like his father before him, he was knighted by Her Majesty, and the pair met on several occasions during their reigns – in both London and Bandar Seri Begawan.  

Bolkiah was born July 15, 1946. He went to high school in Juala Lumbar, and later attended the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst in the United Kingdom, graduating in 1967.

His father Omar Ali Saifuddien III abdicated from the throne in 1967, at which point Bolkiah acceded on October 5 that year.

Queen Elizabeth II meets the Sultan of Brunei during a private audience at Buckingham Palace on December 14, 2017 in London

His first wife is also his first cousin – Princess Pengiran Anak Saleha, who later became the Raja Isteri (meaning Queen). 

He took a second wife – a former flight attendant for the national carrier, Royal Brunei Airlines – but he divorced her in 2003, stripping her of all royal titles.

Her place as second wife was taken in 2005 by a former Malaysian television presenter, Azrinaz Mazhar Hakim, who is 33 years younger than the sultan. They divorced in 2010, and he also stripped her of all titles.

In October 2020, party-loving Prince Azim – the Sultan’s sixth child and fourth in line to the throne – died in the capital of Bandar Seri Begawan.

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