While their friends thought they wouldn't last two weeks when they started dating, Puteri Badrinise & Tunku Alauddin recently celebrated their 13th wedding anniversary. The royal couple give us an inside look into their loving and modern household.
From the outside, the marriage between Tunku Mohamed Alauddin and Puteri Badrinise Zakuan has a fairy-tale element to it as they are both of noble birth. Tunku Alauddin is the eldest son of Negeri Sembilan royals Tunku Naquiyuddin and Tunku Nurul Hayati; he is also the grandson of our tenth Agong, Tuanku Ja’afar Abdul Rahman. Meanwhile, through her mother Tunku Badriyatul Sultan Badlishah, Puteri Badrinise traces a maternal lineage to the Kedah royal family.
Nonetheless, Puteri Badrinise admits that Tunku Alauddin and her were polar opposites in temperament. “I don’t mince my words and I say things as it is. On the other hand, my husband is the kindest soul. He is gentle and diplomatic, always sensitive to how his words and actions affect other people. The world needs more people like him,” Puteri Badrinise expressed.
On his part, Tunku Alauddin describes his wife as a determined woman. “She is my driving force. I won’t be who I am today without her encouragement, support and faith in me as a businessman, as a husband and as a father,” he says fondly about the love of his life.
Here, in their own words, the couple reflect on their courtship, parenting struggles and their hopes for their two daughters, Tunku Alaynna Puteri, 12, and Tunku Azalea Puteri, 9.
On Growing Up As Royalty
Tunku Alauddin: During my grandfather’s reign as King in the 1990s, I watched him perform his duties. Sometimes, I’ll accompany him or my father for ambassadorial events in KL and abroad. From a young age, I am expected to be prim and proper; to be a gentleman. I am grateful for that upbringing. I think it is important for anyone to possess good manners, whether you are royal or not.