SULTAN of Perak Sultan Nazrin Muizzuddin Shah, who is the deputy Yang di-Pertuan Agong, will perform the functions of the king when Al-Sultan Abdullah Ri’ayatuddin Al-Mustafa Billah Shah and Raja Permaisuri Agong Tunku Azizah Aminah Maimunah Iskandariah are away in the United Kingdom on a special visit.

Comptroller of the Royal Household of Istana Negara Ahmad Fadil Shamsuddin, in a statement today, said this is in accordance with Article 33(1) of the Federal Constitution.

He said the visit of Sultan Abdullah and Tunku Azizah to the UK is from today until September 27, after which the couple will stay back in London until the third week of October.

“The couple are scheduled to return home on October 23. On their return, Their Majesties will undergo self-quarantine for seven days as set by the Health Ministry,” he said.

Fadil said the special visit is His Majesty’s second to the UK since he became the Yang di-Pertuan Agong, with the first being a seven-day trip starting from December 9, 2019.

He said that the couple are scheduled to visit the Battersea Power Station project in London, the Malaysian High Commission at Belgrave Square and the Tun Abdul Razak Research Centre in Brickendonbury, Hertford.

“The programme for the visit includes a meeting between Their Majesties and the Malaysian community in London,” Fadil said.

He said Sultan Abdullah was also scheduled to attend the Sandhurst reunion dinner at the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst, where he studied between 1978 and 1979.

The king will also hold a meeting with the United Kingdom’s Chief of the Defence Staff Sir General Nicholas Carter to discuss bilateral military cooperation between Malaysia and Britain. 

Carter had also attended the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst before.

In terms of bilateral trade, UK is Malaysia’s 18th largest trading partner, with total trade between the two countries hitting RM16.59 billion in 2020, a 0.8% increase compared with 2019. 

Malaysia’s exports to the UK totalled RM9.91 billion while imports from the UK were valued at RM6.68 billion last year. – Bernama, September 17, 2021.