Tuanku Bainun binti Mohd Ali (born 1932) is the current Raja Permaisuri (Queen) of the Malaysian state of Perak

Perak

Perak , one of the 13 states of Malaysia, is the second largest state in the Peninsular Malaysia bordering Kedah and Yala Province of Thailand to the north, Penang to the northwest, Kelantan and Pahang to the east, Selangor the Strait of Malacca to the south and west.Perak means silver in Malay...

. She was also the ninth Raja Permaisuri Agong

Raja Permaisuri Agong

Raja Permaisuri Agong, or in full, Seri Paduka Baginda Raja Permaisuri Agong, is the title given to the Queen of Malaysia, consort of the Yang di-Pertuan Agong.The holders of this office have been:...

 (Queen) of Malaysia, the first commoner to be installed as Queen.

Background

Tuanku Bainun was born in Penang

Penang

Penang is a state in Malaysia and the name of its constituent island, located on the northwest coast of Peninsular Malaysia by the Strait of Malacca. It is bordered by Kedah in the north and east, and Perak in the south. Penang is the second smallest Malaysian state in area after Perlis, and the...

 in 1932 and received her early education at the St. George’s Girls School

St George's Girls School, Malaysia

St. George's Girls' School, is a premier secondary school for girls located at Jalan Macalister, Georgetown, Penang, Malaysia. Established in 1884, the school currently caters to approximately 1300 students from Form 1 to Form 6 . The abbreviated name for the school is SGGS with the pupils known as...

, Penang

Penang

Penang is a state in Malaysia and the name of its constituent island, located on the northwest coast of Peninsular Malaysia by the Strait of Malacca. It is bordered by Kedah in the north and east, and Perak in the south. Penang is the second smallest Malaysian state in area after Perlis, and the...

. She was selected to further her studies at the prestigious Teacher’s Training College, Kirkby, England

England

England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...

 from 1952 to 1954.

A year after returning from England, she married Sultan Azlan Muhibbudin Shah ibni Almarhum Sultan Yusuff Izzudin Shah Ghafarullahu-lahu of Perak in 1955. The Sultan was then a Magistrate in Kuala Lumpur

Kuala Lumpur

Kuala Lumpur is the capital and the second largest city in Malaysia by population. The city proper, making up an area of , has a population of 1.4 million as of 2010. Greater Kuala Lumpur, also known as the Klang Valley, is an urban agglomeration of 7.2 million...

, while Tuanku Bainun was teaching at her former school. She has taught in various schools in Kuala Lumpur

Kuala Lumpur

Kuala Lumpur is the capital and the second largest city in Malaysia by population. The city proper, making up an area of , has a population of 1.4 million as of 2010. Greater Kuala Lumpur, also known as the Klang Valley, is an urban agglomeration of 7.2 million...

, Seremban

Seremban

Seremban is the capital of the Malaysian state of Negeri Sembilan, located within the district of Seremban, one of the seven districts of Negeri Sembilan. The town's administration is run by the Seremban Municipal Council or Majlis Perbandaran Seremban...

, Raub

Raub

Raub is both a town and a district in Pahang, Malaysia. The town is situated 110 km from the Malaysian capital of Kuala Lumpur and 265 km from Pahang's capital, Kuantan. Raub is one of the oldest towns in Pahang. Raub district consist of 7 mukim , namely Batu Talam, Sega, Semantan Ulu,...

, Taiping and Kuantan

Kuantan

Kuantan is the state capital of Pahang, the 3rd largest state in Malaysia. It is situated near the mouth of the Kuantan River and faces the South China Sea. If one measures the distance along the east coast of Peninsular Malaysia, it is located roughly halfway between Singapore and Kota Bharu...

.

Becoming Queen

Upon her husband's accession to the Perak throne in 1984, she became Raja Permaisuri of Perak with the title of Tuanku. In Perak, Queens of royal blood are known as Raja Perempuan, while the title of Raja Permaisuri was reserved for commoner consorts. Her Royal Highness was officially proclaimed the Raja Permaisuri Perak Darul Ridzuan on February 19, 1988 in a historic ceremony at Istana Kinta in Ipoh

Ipoh

Ipoh is the capital city of Perak state, Malaysia. It is approximately 200 km north of Kuala Lumpur on the North-South Expressway....

.

Sultan Azlan Shah was selected as the ninth Yang di-Pertuan Agong

Yang di-Pertuan Agong

The Yang di-Pertuan Agong is the head of state of Malaysia. The office was established in 1957 when the Federation of Malaya gained independence....

 and during the Oath Taking and Signing Ceremony on April 26, 1989, Tuanku Bainun was proclaimed Raja Permaisuri Agong

Raja Permaisuri Agong

Raja Permaisuri Agong, or in full, Seri Paduka Baginda Raja Permaisuri Agong, is the title given to the Queen of Malaysia, consort of the Yang di-Pertuan Agong.The holders of this office have been:...

. Tuanku Bainun is the first commoner ever to become Queen of Malaysia. Interestingly she was crowned Raja Permaisuri Agong

Raja Permaisuri Agong

Raja Permaisuri Agong, or in full, Seri Paduka Baginda Raja Permaisuri Agong, is the title given to the Queen of Malaysia, consort of the Yang di-Pertuan Agong.The holders of this office have been:...

 on a new throne made of silver that replaced the ancient wooden throne used by Malaysia's eight previous Queens of royal blood, adding another first to her crown.

Royal Family

The royal couple have five children, two princes and three princesses. The eldest is Raja Nazrin Shah

Raja Nazrin Shah

Raja Dr Nazrin Shah ibni Sultan Azlan Muhibbuddin Shah is the Raja Muda of Perak. He is the eldest son of the current Sultan of Perak, Sultan Azlan Muhibbudin Shah ibni Almarhum Sultan Yusuff Izzudin Shah Ghafarullahu-lahu and the Raja Permaisuri of Perak Tuanku Bainun Binti Mohd...

 ibni Sultan Azlan Shah, who is also Raja Muda (Crown Prince) of Perak

Perak

Perak , one of the 13 states of Malaysia, is the second largest state in the Peninsular Malaysia bordering Kedah and Yala Province of Thailand to the north, Penang to the northwest, Kelantan and Pahang to the east, Selangor the Strait of Malacca to the south and west.Perak means silver in Malay...

. The others are Raja Dato’ Seri Azureen

Raja Dato’ Seri Azureen

Raja Dato' Seri Azureen binti Sultan Azlan Shah is the eldest daughter of Sultan Azlan Shah of Perak. She was born in Penang on December 9, 1957. Raja Dato' Seri Azureen had her primary education at Marion Convent in Ipoh and her secondary education at the Bukit Nanas Convent School in Kuala Lumpur...

 binti Sultan Azlan Shah, Raja Dato’ Seri Ashman Shah

Raja Dato’ Seri Ashman Shah

Raja Dato' Seri Ashman Shah ibni Sultan Azlan Shah is a member of Perak Royal Family. He was born on December 28, 1958. Raja Dato' Seri Ashman is the son of Sultan Azlan Shah...

 ibni Sultan Azlan Shah, Raja Eleena

Raja Eleena

Yang Amat Mulia Raja Eleena binti Sultan Azlan Shah is a daughter of the current Sultan of Perak, Sultan Azlan Shah. She was born on April 3, 1960 and holds a Bachelor's Degree in Law from the University of London...

 binti Sultan Azlan Shah and Raja Yong Sofia

Raja Yong Sofia

Yang Amat Mulia Raja Yong Sofia binti Sultan Azlan Shah is the youngest princess of Perak in Malaysia. She holds a Master's Degree in Administration from International University in London. She worked for Bank Bumiputra.-References:...

Binti Sultan Azlan Shah.

Interests and Hobbies

Tuanku Bainun shares a common interest with the Sultan in sports, especially golf. She pays serious attention to her subjects and is always close to them, especially the women, and has a deep interest in welfare activities. Her hobbies include collecting recipes, floral arrangement and reading.