Prince Mateen of Brunei dethrones Prince William as world’s ‘top royal’

Prince Mateen of Brunei. Photo from Prince Mateen's Instagram

According to British newspaper Daily Express, the study, conducted by game developer Slingo’s team, assessed royals on various criteria such as gender, country, net worth, Google search volume, attractiveness in Google searches, and an overall royalty score.

The 32-year-old Prince Mateen, the tenth son of Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah, topped the chart with a remarkable 8.95 out of 10.

While there has yet to be an official declaration regarding the Bruenian prince’s wealth, the study’s estimations, based on calculations, suggest he possesses a fortune around US$5 billion.

Despite his ninth-place ranking in Google search volume among the top 10 royals, his fourth-place attractiveness ranking among male royals, according to Google searches, contributed to his high score.

Prince Mateen, who played polo for Brunei in the 2017 and 2019 SEA Games, married Yang Mulia Anisha Rosnah, a 29-year-old entrepreneur and University of Bath alumna, in a grand celebration spanning Jan. 7-16. The event drew 5,000 attendees, including international royals and dignitaries, as reported by Time Magazine.

With a score of 8.92, 42-year-old Prince William was positioned second. He was the most googled royal in the year up to Oct. 2023, accumulating more than 17 million searches.

Following closely, Prince Harry, 40, secured the third spot with a score of 8.77.