Royal Extravaganza

Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah of Brunei is famous for his extravagant lifestyle, and over the years, he has spent billions on some of the most lavish luxuries in the world. Here are five of his most outrageous expenses:

• Istana Nurul Iman – The World’s Largest Palace

  • Cost: $1.4 billion+

  • Features 1,788 rooms, 257 bathrooms, a mosque, polo stables, and gold-plated interiors.

• 7,000+ Luxury Cars Collection

  • Estimated Value: $5 billion

  • Includes 600 Rolls-Royces, 450 Ferraris, and rare custom-made supercars.

• Gold-Plated Private Jet

  • Cost: $230–250 million

  • A custom Boeing 747 with solid gold sinks, seats, and even a golden toilet.

• Lavish Royal Weddings & Celebrations

  • Cost: Tens of millions per event

  • His daughter’s wedding had 10,000 guests, private jets, and diamond-encrusted outfits.

• Luxury Hotels & Properties

  • Owns The Dorchester (London), Beverly Hills Hotel (LA), and Plaza Athénée (Paris).

  • Some hotels have gold-plated interiors fit for royalty.

That is certainly an impressive list of lavish purchases. It will be interesting to look into his chart and see what kind of money luck Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah has.

He is a Yang Metal Day Master born in summer (Goat month) with no Water and heavy Fire and Earth, making the chart very dry and resource-rich. The Day Branch (Tiger) and Year Branch (Dog) also contain Fire and Wood. It’s a vibrant yet potentially unstable environment—let’s unpack it.

💰 Money Luck – Wealth = Wood Element (乙, Jia)

His Business (Money) Talent Bridge consists of Wood and Earth, and is of superb quality, throughout his life.

• Yin Wood (乙) is in the Month Stem, a very favorable sign.

• Tiger (寅), the Day Branch, also holds Jia Wood, providing additional wealth roots.

Wood needs Water to grow, and his chart has zero Water. What this means:

• The wealth is there, even visible, but its full potential is suppressed by lack of nourishment.

• The Earth (especially in Goat and Dog) can suffocate the Wood unless balanced by Water.

However, since 1984, his Luck Pillars brought consistent Water and Metal, which activated and protected his wealth.
That’s why his wealth surged starting in the 80s, when he became one of the richest monarchs on Earth.

🌋 Fire Dog Pillar – Love for Flash & Showmanship

His Year Pillar is Bing Fire over Dog (丙戌). This is massive in terms of personality and legacy:

• Bing Fire (Yang Fire) shines brightly and loves to be seen, especially in leadership roles.

• The Dog (Xu) contains both Fire and Earth, making it a perfect base for showy expression.

This explains:

• His obsession with extravagance—lavish palaces, gold-plated cars, private jets.

• His desire to be admired, revered, and respected, especially as a royal figure.

• A personality that values legacy, grandeur, and status over frugality or simplicity.

Interestingly, other famous figures with Fire Dog energy—like Trump, Freddie Mercury, and David Bowie—also share this need for bold expression, style, and public presence.

⚠️ Rob Wealth Star and His Brother (Prince Jefri)

In BaZi, Rob Wealth (劫财) represents:

• People of the same polarity as the Day Master (so Yang Metal Day Master = Yin Metal is Rob Wealth).

• Siblings, peers, or rivals who may compete for resources, or cause financial damage.

In Sultan Bolkiah’s chart:

• Xin Metal (Yin Metal) is hidden within the Dog (Year Branch)—this symbolizes a weak, concealed Rob Wealth, directly tied to his brother.

• The Dog’s Fire and Earth weaken this Yin Metal, making it unstable and dangerous.

• This shows up literally in real life: his brother Prince Jefri spent billions, mismanaged funds, and caused major losses to the royal fortune.

Rob Wealth, especially when weak and hidden, is more unpredictable. You can’t see it clearly, so it strikes unexpectedly.
It also represents a person who:

• Acts behind the scenes

• Over-indulges or lives off your resources

• Becomes a liability instead of an asset

In the Sultan’s case, he was able to control and recover from these losses due to:

• Strong Earth in his chart (Resources, support, control)

• Water and Metal in his luck cycles (since 1984), keeping his wealth cycle flowing despite setbacks.

🌊 Final Thoughts – Why He Maintained Power & Wealth

Even with Rob Wealth and excessive Fire:

• His Yang Metal Day Master is strong, often supported by Metal in luck pillars.

• Water arrived at the right time, balancing Fire and nurturing Wood (wealth).

• He had the resources (Earth) and self-support (Metal) to survive massive hits.

But long term:

• As he ages, he’ll need to maintain that Water flow—the current Water Rabbit luck cycle (2024–2034) is ideal.

• Once he enters strong Fire or Earth cycles again, the wealth pressure might return, and succession or legacy issues may resurface, which is anyway due, due to his age.

Also published on Medium.