Queen of Malaysia
The Queen of Malaysia, officially Raja Permaisuri Agong 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 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 are always subservient to God.
- Seri Paduka Baginda 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.
- Raja Permaisuri Agong in literal English is the "Supreme 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. The Malay word permaisuri is derived from Sanskrit परमेश्वरी, 'supreme lady'.
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
- English: Your Majesty
Status, functions, and privileges
The king is elected 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 Yang di-Pertua Negeri of non-royal states.