Humble and down to earth
SELANGOR Raja Muda Tengku Amir Shah was installed as the Crown Prince and heir to the Selangor throne on May 3, 2002 when he was 11 years old. He was officially proclaimed as the Raja Muda on Oct 8 this year.
The 25-year-old heir to the Selangor throne was born in San Francisco, the United States, on Dec 12, 1990 and is Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah’s only son.
His American mother Che Puan Nur Lisa and Sultan Sharafuddin divorced in 1997.
Tengku Amir received his early education at the Alice Smith School in Kuala Lumpur, after which he continued his studies at the Wellington College in the United Kingdom from 2004 to 2009.
Tengku Amir, who underwent training at the Sandhurst Royal Military Academy in the United Kingdom, holds a degree in Ecology and Environmental Biology from Leeds University, which he obtained in 2014.
The Raja Muda, who is a lover of extreme sports, was commissioned Leftenan Muda in the 17th battalion of the Royal Malay Regiment at Terendak Camp, Malacca, in June this year.
The innovative Raja Muda has also conceptualised a platform to develop the state’s youths into multi-talented world-class individuals through his non-governmental organisation, the Selangor Youth Community (SAY).
He is SAY’s executive royal patron as well as the royal patron of the Selangor Cheshire Home.
The Raja Muda is keen on advocating service to all Selangorians through various community-based programmes organised by SAY.
In line with this, Tengku Amir visited four needy families during Hari Raya Aidilfitri and presented them with aid as well as spent time with the residents of a children’s home in conjunction with Deepavali.
According to SAY chief executive officer Izhar Moslim, Tengku Amir is a very unassuming person. Izhar recalls how he was taken aback when the Raja Muda came to pick him up for a meeting earlier this year.
Izhar said he and the Raja Muda had to attend the meeting in Kuala Lumpur and it was a common practice for him to arrive first at the venue to ensure everything was in place.
“But I got a call from Tengku Amir just as I was about to leave my house, asking me how I was going to the meeting.
“He asked me to go with him and said he’ll come and pick me up at home,” said Izhar.
The Raja Muda arrived five minutes later driving his own car to pick Izhar up at his home in Shah Alam.
“I hopped on to the front passenger seat and we had a good chat about work and other things on our way to the meeting,” said Izhar.
The Raja Muda also has a good sense of humour and a knack for making people feel comfortable in his presence. These traits endear him to the rakyat.