Perak Sultan and Raja Permaisuri honour special guests at Royal banquet

Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah of Brunei and his wife Pengiran Anak Hajah Saleha were among 570 guests present at the Royal Banquet held in conjunction with the enthronement of the Sultan of Perak XXXV, Sultan Nazrin Shah and Raja Permaisuri Tuanku Zara Salim at the Istana Iskandariah Banquet Hall in Bukit Chandan, here on Saturday.

Also present were Malay Rulers, among them, Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah (Selangor), Sultan Muhammad V (Kelantan), Sultan Mizan Zainal Abidin (Terengganu) and Tuanku Syed Sirajuddin Syed Jamalullail (Perlis).

Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak and his wife Datin Seri Rosmah Mansor, former prime minister Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi and his wife Tun Jeanne Abdullah, Perak Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Dr Zambry Abdul Kadir and his wife Datin Seri Saripah Zulkifli, along with other head of states, dignitaries and their spouses also graced the occasion.

Before dinner was served, the Perak Sultan and Raja Permaisuri had a photography session with distinguished guests at the Ceremonial Hall in the palace.

The Royal Banquet was enlivened with songs by famous Malaysian songbird Dayang Nurfaizah Awang Dowty and popular Indonesian singer, Chakra Khan.

The enthronement of the Sultan of Perak XXXV encompassed six major ceremonies, namely the Commencement Ceremony, the Customary Enthronement, Invocation of the Perak Guardian Spirits, Pilgrimage to the Royal Tombs, Setting Foot on Beting Beras Basah and Completion Ceremony, highlights the uniqueness and richness of the customs of the Perak Malay Sultanate since 1528.