Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah of Brunei, one of the world’s few remaining absolute monarchs and a man whose oil and gas wealth has funded a lifestyle of nearly unbelievable extravagance. With a net worth estimated to be in the tens of billions of dollars, his daily life is defined by world-record-holding possessions and displays of gold-plated opulence.
1. The World’s Largest Private Car Collection The Sultan is famous for his love of luxury cars, owning the largest private car collection in the world, valued at over $5 billion with approximately 7,000 vehicles in total. This collection includes:
- Over 600 Rolls-Royces, earning him a Guinness World Record.
- 450 Ferraris.
- 380 Bentleys. Many of these cars were bespoke, one-of-a-kind models commissioned exclusively for him and his family.
2. The World’s Largest Residential Palace
The Sultan’s official residence, the Istana Nurul Iman (Palace of the Light of Faith), holds the Guinness World Record for the largest residential palace on Earth.
- It contains 1,788 rooms and 257 bathrooms.
- It features a banquet hall that can host up to 5,000 guests.
- The palace complex also includes a garage for 110 cars and an air-conditioned stable for 200 polo ponies.
3. The $20,000 Haircut
For a simple haircut, the Sultan reportedly spares no expense. He pays a celebrity barber to fly first-class from London’s Dorchester Hotel to Brunei for a trim, a service estimated to cost up to $20,000 per session.
4. His Private Gilded Airliner
His personal fleet of aircraft includes a custom Boeing 747-400, which he often pilots himself. The plane, reportedly costing hundreds of millions of dollars, is nicknamed the “flying palace” and features gold-plated furnishings and Lalique crystal fixtures.
5. A $17 Million Birthday Party
For his 50th birthday celebration in 1996, the Sultan reportedly flew in Michael Jackson for a private performance in a newly constructed stadium, with the musical portion alone costing a reported $17 million.
6. A Passion for Polo and Exotic Animals
The Sultan’s palace grounds include a private zoo featuring a wide array of exotic animals, including 30 Bengal tigers. His love for polo led to the construction of a temperature-controlled stable for his large collection of ponies.
