Brunei Ruler's Divorce Still Much In Mind Of Subjects

Bandar Seri Begawan - As the dust now settles on the baffling news on Sunday of the doomed 22-year-fairytale royal romance when a humble Royal Brunei Airline stewardess became a Brunei princess the people are quietly coming to terms with their new circumstances.

Most of the sultanate's 300,000 odd subjects took the news calmly when HRH Prince Sufri younger brother of His Majesty Sultan of Brunei announced over Radio Television Brunei the dissolution of Brunei ruler's marriage to Pengiran Isteri Hajah Mariam, his second wife.

Her royal titles were also immediately stripped and the 48-year-old former princess was to be henceforth known as plain Dayang Hajah Mariam.

Shock and disbelief initially there was, no doubt. But for now life must go on.

Lovely Brunei born Mariam Bell, 26, a commoner of mixed parentage - Bruneian, Japanese, and Scottish - was working as flight stewardess when the handsome 35-year-old monarch fell in love with her and married her.

Of course there was some opposition from the tradition bound powerful royalist conservatives to the union at that time but valiantly the young ruler who was already wedded to one wife, his first cousin, won the day.

From then on it was a fairytale romance and the splendid newly built palace, the Istana Nurul Izzah, on a hill on the shores of the balmy South China Sea where nothing was spared for the sake of comfort and elegance into which she moved was a place where many a dream came true and where love flourished.

They had two handsome sons and two lovely daughters. Life was wonderful. Few things were beyond their reach. It was the perfect picture of an ideal happy family.

But about three months ago things began to go wrong. The unspeakable was spoken. There was a talk of a rift. Why no one seemed to know for certain but there were many theories that formed the basis of gossip, which became rife.

There were whispers during local weddings and kunderi where Bruneians congregated for one social occasion or other. There was talk of scandal in high places.

There was the tale of a young mysterious Indonesian singer who had somehow appeared on the scene.

There was pain, puzzlement and sadness during these discussions among many a subject.

These apparently unstoppable rumours and other reports rose wave after wave, day after day, hitting the bewildered public perhaps conditioning them to face what was in store for them on Sunday.

Because when the stark reality of the royal divorce came in the form of a sudden announcement during the weekend it smashed into the semi awareness of a half expectant public that these months of growing gossip had conditioned them. It came therefore more like an unbelievable anti climax to an astonishing royal drama that was being played out.

What follows is still a matter of conjencture. "Just wait for more news," was all a top official could say.

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