Raja Permaisuri Agong


Raja Permaisuri Agong is the title given to the consort of the Yang di-Pertuan Agong, the elected, constitutional head of state of Malaysia.

Title

The full style and title in Malay is Kebawah Duli Yang Maha Mulia Seri Paduka Baginda Raja Permaisuri Agong.
Kebawah Duli Yang Maha Mulia 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 is always subservient to God and never above and beyond God.
Seri Paduka Baginda refers to Seri as in a person. Paduka means victorious and the term Baginda is in Malay for a royal in the third person.
Raja Permaisuri Agong in literal English is "The Supreme Lady Queen". It is an archaic equivalent to Raja where the female is a Raja Permaisuri and "Agong" means "supreme". The term Agong is not translated, as in the Constitution of Malaysia.
Common English terms used in the media and by the general public include "Queen", "Supreme Queen" and "Paramount Consort".

Terminology and precedence

As the title "Yang di-Pertuan Agong" is commonly glossed as "King" in English, the title "Raja Permaisuri Agong" is commonly translated to "Queen", and in English the bearer is thus referred to as "Her Majesty" and addressed as "Your Majesty". The Malay word permaisuri is derived from Sanskrit परमेश्वरी, 'supreme lady'.
The Raja Permaisuri Agong immediately follows her husband, the Yang di-Pertuan Agong, in the Malaysian order of precedence.

Status, functions, and privileges

The Yang di-Pertuan Agong is elected every five years among the nine hereditary rulers of the states of Malaysia. When a ruler is elected as the Yang di-Pertuan Agong, his consort automatically becomes the Raja Permaisuri Agong. In effect, the holder of the title of Raja Permaisuri Agong changes every five years, though it could happen earlier due to the death or resignation of the Yang di-Pertuan Agong.
Like many spouses of heads of state, the Raja Permaisuri Agong has no stipulated role in the Constitution of Malaysia. She accompanies the Yang di-Pertuan Agong to official functions and state visits, as well as hosting visiting heads of state and their spouses. Article 34 of the Malaysian Constitution forbids the Raja Permaisuri Agong from holding any appointment, carrying any remuneration, or actively engaging in any commercial enterprise. The Raja Permaisuri Agong is, however, legally entitled to an annual payment which is included in the Civil List of the Yang di-Pertuan Agong.
Previous holders of the title of Raja Permaisuri Agong whose husbands are deceased receive a pension from the Federal Government's Civil List. They also take precedence immediately after the reigning Yang di-Pertuan Agong, the current Raja Permaisuri Agong, the reigning monarchs of royal states, and the Yang di-Pertua Negeri of non-royal states.

List of Raja Permaisuri Agong

The following consorts have served as Raja Permaisuri Agong:
NumberNameStateReignBirthDeathYang di-Pertuan Agong
1 Tunku Kurshiah binti Almarhum Tunku Besar Burhanuddin31 August 1957 – 1 April 1960Tuanku Abdul Rahman
2 Raja Jema'ah binti Almarhum Raja Ahmad14 April 1960 – 1 September 196019008 Sultan Hisamuddin Alam Shah
3 Tengku Budriah binti Tengku Ismail21 September 1960 – 20 September 1965Tuanku Syed Putra
4 Tengku Intan Zaharah binti Tengku Hitam Omar21 September 1965 – 20 September 1970Sultan Ismail Nasiruddin Shah
5 Tunku Bahiyah binti Almarhum Tuanku Abdul Rahman21 September 1970 - 20 September 1975Sultan Abdul Halim Mu’adzam Shah
6 Tengku Zainab binti Tengku Muhammad Petra21 September 1975 – 29 March 1979Sultan Yahya Petra
7 Tengku Hajjah Afzan binti Tengku Panglima Perang Muhammad26 April 1979 – 25 April 1984Sultan Haji Ahmad Shah Al-Musta’in Billah
8 Tengku Zanariah binti Tengku Panglima Raja Ahmad26 April 1984 – 25 April 1989Sultan Iskandar
9 Tuanku Bainun binti Mohamad Ali26 April 1989 – 25 April 1994Sultan Azlan Muhibbuddin Shah
10 Tunku Najihah binti Almarhum Tunku Besar Burhanuddin26 April 1994 – 25 April 1999Tuanku Ja’afar
11 Tuanku Siti Aishah binti Abdul Rahman26 April 1999 – 21 November 2001Sultan Salahuddin Abdul Aziz
12 Tengku Fauziah binti Almarhum Tengku Abdul Rashid13 December 2001 – 12 December 2006Tuanku Syed Sirajuddin
13 Tuanku Nur Zahirah 13 December 2006 – 12 December 2011Sultan Mizan Zainal Abidin
14 Tuanku Hajah Haminah binti Hamidun13 December 2011 – 12 December 2016Sultan Abdul Halim Mu’adzam Shah
15 VacantSultan Muhammad V
16 Tunku Azizah Aminah Maimunah Iskandariah binti Almarhum Sultan Iskandar31 January 2019 – presentAl-Sultan Abdullah Ri’ayatuddin Al-Mustafa Billah Shah

Living former Raja Permaisuri Agong

The most-recent deceased former Raja Permaisuri Agong is Tunku Zanariah of , the 8th Raja Permaisuri Agong, her husband is Sultan Iskandar, the 8th Yang di Pertuan Agong and Sultan of .