Malaysia’s King and Queen charm as TV ‘news anchors’ during visit to media office

King Sultan Abdullah Ahmad Shah and his wife, Tunku Azizah Aminah Maimunah Iskandariah, presented three news items on channel TV3

Malaysia’s King and Queen charmed audiences during primetime on 17 January as they debuted as news anchors for a TV channel (NST Online / YouTube. Screengrab)

Malaysia’s King and Queen went on air for the first time on Wednesday playing the roles of television news anchors and charmed their audiences on social media.

King Sultan Abdullah Ahmad Shah and his wife, Tunku Azizah Aminah Maimunah Iskandariah, presented three news items on channel TV3 on Wednesday during the 8pm slot.

The 10-minute segment was pre-recorded in the morning during their visit to media conglomerate Media Prima Group’s headquarters in Selangor.

The first news piece focused on unity, the second on the economic contribution of patin fish in Pahang, and the third on their visit to Media Prima’s office.

“Their Majesties were given a corporate brief by the Media Prima’s management, followed by a visit to the Radio City. They even went live with the DJs at Hot FM,” the Queen read while the TV broadcast showed accompanying b-roll footage of her and the King.

She pointed out, “their faces look familiar” and the King and Queen let out a chuckle.

Both took turns to read the news. On social media, several observers were charmed by the royal couple as news anchors. One user wrote on X/Twitter: “Can I just say, (with all due respect): They are the coolest King & Queen of Malaysia.”

Sultan Abdullah Ahmad Shah, who has actively influenced Malaysian politics, will be succeeded by Johor Sultan Ibrahim Iskandar on 31 January. The official title of the monarch, known as the “yang di-pertuan agong,” undergoes a five-year rotational cycle among a set of hereditary sultans. These sultans serve as nominal heads of nine Malay states, while the remaining four states are led by governors.

According to reports, the Royal couple visited the TV channel to congratulate the media conglomerate that is celebrating 40 years.