Raja Permaisuri Tuanku Bainun ( Jawi: راج ڤرمايسوري توانکو بعينون; born Bainun binti Mohd Ali; 7 November 1932) is the former Raja Permaisuri (queen consort) of

Perak Perak (; Perak Malay: ''Peghok'') is a States and federal territories of Malaysia, state of Malaysia on the west coast of the Malay Peninsula. Perak has land borders with the Malaysian states of Kedah to the north, Penang to the northwest, Kel ...

. She was also the ninth

Raja Permaisuri Agong 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 Mala ...

(queen consort of Malaysia) and the first commoner ever to be installed as the Raja Permaisuri Agong. She is the widow of the Sultan Azlan Shah and the mother of the incumbent Sultan Nazrin Shah. She is now styled as Yang Maha Mulia Raja Permaisuri Tuanku Bainun.

Background

Tuanku Bainun was born on 7 November 1932 in

Penang Penang is a Malaysian state located on the northwest coast of Peninsular Malaysia along the Strait of Malacca. It has two parts: Penang Island, where the capital city, George Town, is located, and Seberang Perai on the Malay Peninsula. Th ...

in the

Straits Settlements The Straits Settlements () were a group of British territories located in Southeast Asia. Originally established in 1826 as part of the territories controlled by the British East India Company, the Straits Settlements came under control of the ...

and received her early education at the St. George's Girls School,

. She was selected to further her studies at the prestigious Teachers' Training College, Kirkby,

England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...

from 1952 to 1954. A year after returning from England, she married the future Sultan Azlan Muhibbuddin Shah of Perak on 9 December 1955. The Sultan was then a Magistrate in

Kuala Lumpur Kuala Lumpur (KL), officially the Federal Territory of Kuala Lumpur, is the capital city and a Federal Territories of Malaysia, federal territory of Malaysia. It is the largest city in the country, covering an area of with a census population ...

, while Tuanku Bainun was teaching at her former school. She was a teacher for 22 years and has taught in various schools in

Seremban Seremban (Negeri Sembilan Malay: ''Somban'') is a city in the Seremban District and the capital of the state of Negeri Sembilan in Peninsular Malaysia. The city's administration is run by the Seremban Municipal Council, Seremban City Council. ...

, Raub, Taiping and

Kuantan Kuantan (Pahang Malay: ''Kontaeng''; Terengganu Malay: ''Kuatang/Kuantang'') is a city and the state capital of Pahang, Malaysia. It is located near the mouth of the Kuantan River. Kuantan is the Largest cities in Malaysia, 12th largest city ...

Queen consort

Upon her husband's accession to the Perakian throne on 3 February 1984, she became the Raja Permaisuri of Perak with the honorific prefix of Tuanku before her given name. In Perak a queen consort of royal blood is known as a Raja Perempuan, while the title of Raja Permaisuri was reserved for commoner consorts. Her Royal Highness was officially proclaimed the Raja Permaisuri of Perak Darul Ridzuan on 9 December 1985 in a ceremony at the Istana Iskandariah in

Kuala Kangsar Kuala Kangsar (Perak Malay: ) is the royal town of Perak, Malaysia. It is located at the downstream of Kangsar River where it joins the Perak River, approximately northwest of Ipoh, Perak's capital, and southeast of George Town, Penang, Ge ...

. Sultan Azlan Shah was elected as the ninth

Yang di-Pertuan Agong The King of Malaysia, officially ''Yang di-Pertuan Agong'' ( Jawi alphabet, Jawi: ), is the constitutional monarch and Figurehead, ceremonial head of state of Malaysia. The office was established in 1957, when the Federation of Malaya gained ...

and during the oath taking and signing ceremony on 26 April 1989, Tuanku Bainun was proclaimed

. Tuanku Bainun is the first commoner ever to become Queen of Malaysia. She was crowned

on 19 February 1988 a new throne made of silver that replaced the ancient wooden throne used by Malaysia's eight previous queens. They held these titles until the end of Azlan Shah's term on 25 April 1994. She ceased to be Raja Permaisuri of Perak on 28 May 2014, after her husband died. She was succeeded a month later by her daughter in-law, Tuanku Zara Salim.

Royal family

The royal couple had five children, two sons and three daughters. The eldest is Sultan Nazrin Muizzuddin Shah ibni Almarhum Sultan Azlan Muhibbuddin Shah, the current

Sultan of Perak The Sultan of Perak (, Jawi script, Jawi: ) is the Constitutional monarchy, constitutional monarch and head of state of the Malaysia, Malaysian state of Perak. It is one of the oldest hereditary seats among the Malay states. The current Sultan o ...

. The others are Raja Dato’ Seri Azureen Binti Almarhum Sultan Azlan Muhibbuddin Shah, Raja Dato’ Seri Ashman Shah Ibni Sultan Azlan Muhibbuddin Shah, Raja Dato' Seri Eleena Binti Almarhum Sultan Azlan Muhibbuddin Shah and Raja Dato' Seri Yong Sofia Binti Almarhum Sultan Azlan Muhibbuddin Shah.

Orders and recognitions

She was awarded:

Honours of Perak

* **

MY-PERA Royal Family Order of Perak - DK

Recipient of the Royal Family Order of Perak (DK) ** MY-PERA Azlanii Royal Family Order - Member First Class - DKA I

Member First Class of the Azlanii Royal Family Order (DKA I, 2010)

Honours of Malaysia

* ** Recipient of the Order of the Crown of the Realm (DMN, 1989)Tuanku Bainun wearin
DMN
/ref> * ** MY-SEL Royal Family Order of Selangor - DK I

First Class of the

Royal Family Order of Selangor The Most Esteemed Royal Family Order of Selangor (Malay language, Malay: ''Darjah Kerabat Selangor Yang Amat Dihormati'') is an Order (distinction), order awarded by Sultan of Selangor to members of the Selangor and other Royal families, and to h ...

(DK I, 11 December 2005)

Foreign Honours

* **

Grand Cordon of the

Order of the Precious Crown The is a Japanese order, established on January 4, 1888 by Emperor Meiji of Japan. Since the Order of the Rising Sun at that time was an Order for men, it was established as an Order for women. Originally the order had five classes, but on Apr ...

(30 September 1991) * ** Grand Cross of the

Order of Chula Chom Klao The Most Illustrious Order of Chula Chom Klao (; ) was established on 16 November 1873 by King Rama V of The Kingdom of Siam (now Thailand) to commemorate the 90th Jubilee of the Chakri Dynasty and bears his name (จุลจอมเกล� ...

(September 1990)

Academic

* Fellow of

Liverpool John Moores University Liverpool John Moores University (abbreviated LJMU) is a public university, public research university in the city of Liverpool, England. The university can trace its origins to the Liverpool Mechanics' School of Arts, established in 1823. This ...

Places named after her

Several places were named after her, including: * Raja Pemaisuri Bainun Bridge in Lumut, Perak * Raja Permaisuri Bainun Hospital in Ipoh, Perak * Raja Permaisuri Bainun Mosque in Kuala Kangsar, Perak * Jalan Raja Permaisuri Bainun in Ipoh, Perak * Institut Pendidikan Guru Kampus Tuanku Bainun in Bukit Mertajam, Penang * SMK Raja Permaisuri Bainun, a secondary school in Ipoh, Perak * Tuanku Bainun Library in Universiti Pendidikan Sultan Idris, Tanjung Malim, Perak

References

, - {{DEFAULTSORT:Bainun, Raja Permaisuri Tuanku 1932 births People from Penang Living people Royal House of Perak First Classes of Royal Family Order of Selangor Perak royal consorts Malaysian people of Malay descent Malaysian Muslims Grand Cordons of the Order of the Precious Crown Dames Grand Cross of the Order of Chula Chom Klao Queens consort of Malaysia Recipients of the Order of the Crown of the Realm Queen mothers