Sallehuddin of Kedah

Sultan Sallehuddin was born (as Tunku Mahmud Sallehuddin) and raised in Istana Anak Bukit, Alor Setar, Kedah.[2] He was the ninth of 14 siblings, to Sultan Badlishah, the 27th Sultan of Kedah, and Sultanah Asma, daughter of Sultan Sulaiman of Terengganu.

Sultan Sallehuddin was educated at the Alor Merah Malay School and continued his studies at the Sultan Abdul Hamid College. He graduated with a higher education from the College of Military Engineering, Poona in India.

Sultan Salehuddin's military career started when he underwent cadet training at the Indian Military Academy in Dehradun from July 23, 1962 to June 30, 1963. He was appointed Junior Lieutetant on October 23, 1963. On February 12, 1964, he was commissioned as a lieutenant and stationed with the 2nd Battalion of the Royal Malay Regiment in Pengkalan Chepa, Kota Bharu, Kelantan. He was later promoted to the rank of colonel.[3]

During his services, Sultan Sallehuddin had been involved in several security operations at the border areas with Thailand.[3]

Sultan Sallehuddin was proclaimed as Tunku Temenggong of Kedah on 28 November 1981. He became one of members of the Council of Regency when his eldest brother, Sultan Abdul Halim Mu'adzam Shah, served as the Yang di-Pertuan Agong from 2011 to 2016, and chaired that Council after the death of his elder brother, Tunku Annuar, in 2014.

Sultan Sallehuddin was proclaimed as Raja Muda of Kedah on 15 December 2016. He replaced Tunku Abdul Malik who died of natural causes on 29 November 2015 at Sultanah Bahiyah Hospital in Alor Setar.[4]

As Raja Muda, Sultan Sallehuddin held a number of important positions including as chancellor of the Cyberjaya University College of Medical Sciences and president of the Kedah Islamic Religious Council.[3]

Sultan Sallehuddin was proclaimed as the 29th Sultan of Kedah on 12 September 2017 at the Istana Anak Bukit by the Kedah Menteri Besar, Datuk Seri Ahmad Bashah Md Hanipah.[5] He succeeded his half-brother, Sultan Abdul Halim Mu'adzam Shah, upon the latter's passing on 11 September 2017. At the age of 75, he's the oldest monarch by the age at accession in South East Asia, surpassing King Maha Vajiralongkorn of Thailand who ascended the throne 11 months before at the age of 64 (Nawaf Al-Ahmed Al-Jaber Al-Sabah of Kuwait is the oldest in the world, age 83). He's also the shortest serving heir-apparent for only 8 months 28 days before ascending to the Throne. He was officially enthroned as the Sultan on 22 October 2018 and was awarded the sobriquet Al-Aminul Karim in a televised ceremony, the first since 1959, at the Istana Anak Bukit's Balai Besar.

The event was attended by the Crown Prince of Brunei, Prince Al-Muhtadee Billah and his wife, Crown Princess Sarah, on behalf of Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah and by the former Prime Minister of Malaysia, Dr. Mahathir Mohamad, whose son, Mukhriz Mahathir, was the state's former Chief Minister. The then current Chief Minister, Datuk Ahmad Bashah Md Hanipah read out the enthronement proclamation paper.

As per his duties as Sultan and head of the state of Kedah, he serves currently as the Colonel-in-chief of the Royal Malay Regiment.

Sultan Sallehuddin and Sultanah Maliha married on 26 November 1965 and have two sons :

• His Royal Highness Tengku Sarafudin Badlishah, the current Raja Muda of Kedah (Crown Prince)
• His Royal Highness Tunku Shazuddin Ariff, the current Tunku Mahkota of Kedah (Deputy Crown Prince) and second line of heir apparent