Greeted with love

Royal rice: The Yang di-Pertuan Agong and Raja Permaisuri Agong trying their hand at pounding padi the traditional way at the Kadazan Dusun Cultural Association complex during their Kembara Kenali Borneo tour. — Photos: Bernama

JUST before his installation as the 16th Yang Di-Pertuan Agong, Al-Sultan Abdullah Ri’ayatuddin Al-Mustafa Billah Shah sat down for a series of interviews with the media – divided into several small groups – at the Istana Negara.

The Star was invited and this writer went together with colleague Rozaid Abdul Rahman. The tone of the interview was serious at first but as the questions touched on family and his favourite things, the King was more relaxed. We were already feeling nervous waiting for him to conduct the interview and were about to heave a sigh of relief at the end of it when Al-Sultan Abdullah caught everyone off guard as he asked palace staff if lunch was ready and indicated he would join us.