The Queen of Malaysia, officially Raja Permaisuri Agong ( Jawi: ) is the consort of the Yang di-Pertuan Agong, the elected, constitutional federal monarch of Malaysia.
Title and precedence
The queen's full style and title in Malay is .
literally means 'Under the dust of the Almighty', referring to how the Raja Permaisuri Agong's power and prestige is dust compared to God's power and the ruler and his consort are always subservient to God. refers to Seri as in a person. Paduka means victorious and the term Baginda is the Malay possessive pronoun for a royal in the third person. in literal English is the "Supreme Queen". It is an archaic equivalent to Raja where the female is a Raja Permaisuri and "Agong" (or in standard Malay) means 'supreme'. The term Agong is not translated, as in the Constitution of Malaysia. The Malay word permaisuri is derived from Sanskrit परमेश्वरी (parameśvarī), 'supreme lady'.
Common English terms used in the media and by the general public include "Supreme Queen" and "Paramount Consort".
In formal English correspondence, for many years the queen was referred to as "Her Majesty The Raja Permaisuri Agong". In January 2024, this was changed to "Her Majesty The Queen of Malaysia".
There are two formal ways of addressing the queen:
Malay: Tuanku (literally 'My Lady') English: Your Majesty
The queen immediately follows her husband, the king, in the Malaysian order of precedence.
Status, functions, and privileges The king is elected (de facto rotated) every five years from among the nine hereditary rulers of the states of Malaysia by the Conference of Rulers. When a ruler is elected to the office of king, his consort is automatically bestowed the title and dignity of queen and serves the same term of office as her husband. In effect, the holder of the title of Queen of Malaysia changes every five years, though it could happen earlier due to the death or abdication of the king during his term of office.
Like many spouses of heads of state, the queen has no stipulated role in the Constitution of Malaysia. She accompanies the king to official functions and state visits, as well as hosting visiting heads of state and their spouses during their visits to Malaysia. Article 34 of the Malaysian Constitution forbids the queen from holding any appointment, carrying any remuneration, or actively engaging in any commercial enterprise during her tenure. The queen is, however, legally entitled to an annual payment which is included in the Civil List of the king during his term of office.
Previous holders of the title of Queen of Malaysia whose husbands are deceased receive a pension from the Federal Government's Civil List. They also take precedence immediately after the reigning king, the current queen, the reigning monarchs of royal states, and the (governors) of non-royal states.
List of queens of Malaysia The following consorts have served in the office of queen: NumberNameStateTenure startTenure endYang di-Pertuan AgongBirthDeath 1 (I) Tunku Puan Besar Kurshiah 31 August 19571 April 1960Tuanku Abdul Rahman 2 (II) Tengku Ampuan Jemaah 14 April 19601 September 1960Sultan Hisamuddin Alam Shah 1900 3 (III) Tengku Budriah 21 September 196020 September 1965Tuanku Syed Putra 4 (IV) Tengku Ampuan Tua Intan Zaharah 21 September 196520 September 1970Sultan Ismail Nasiruddin Shah 5 (V) Tuanku Bahiyah 21 September 197020 September 1975Sultan Abdul Halim Mu'adzam Shah 6 (VI) Tengku Zainab 21 September 197529 March 1979Sultan Yahya Petra 7 (VII) Tengku Hajah Afzan 26 April 197925 April 1984Sultan Haji Ahmad Shah Al-Musta'in Billah 8 (VIII) Tunku Puan Zanariah 26 April 198425 April 1989Sultan Iskandar 9 (IX) Tuanku Bainun 26 April 198925 April 1994Sultan Azlan Muhibbuddin ShahAlive 10 (X) Tuanku Najihah 26 April 199425 April 1999Tuanku Ja'afar 11 (XI) Tuanku Siti Aishah 26 April 199921 November 2001Sultan Salahuddin Abdul Aziz Alive 12 (XII) Tuanku Tengku Fauziah 13 December 200112 December 2006Tuanku Syed SirajuddinAlive 13 (XIII) Tuanku Nur Zahirah 13 December 200612 December 2011Sultan Mizan Zainal Abidin Alive 14 (XIV) Tuanku Hajah Haminah 13 December 201112 December 2016Sultan Abdul Halim of Kedah Alive 15 (XV) colspan="2" Sultan Muhammad V of Kelantan colspan="2" 16 (XVI) Tunku Azizah Aminah Maimunah Iskandariah 31 January 201930 January 2024Sultan Abdullah of Pahang Alive 17 (XVII) Raja Zarith Sofiah 31 January 2024 Incumbent Sultan Ibrahim of Johor Alive
Living former Raja Permaisuri Agong There are currently six living former Raja Permaisuri Agongs; The most recently the late Raja Permaisuri Agong was Tunku Ampuan Najihah (1923–2023), who died on 8 September 2023.
See also Elective monarchy King of Malaysia — consort's spouse + monarch−ruler of Malaysia. Malay styles and titles – on Peninsular Malaysia and Borneo within Brunei + Malaysia. Regalia of Malaysia Yang di-Pertuan Negara – national Malaysian award for elected monarchs.
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