Zara Salim Davidson

Tuanku Zara Salim
Raja Permaisuri of Perak
Raja Permaisuri of Perak
Reign	20 June 2014 - present
Coronation	6 May 2015
Successor	Tuanku Bainun
Born	(1973-03-22) 22 March 1973 Ipoh, Perak, Malaysia
Spouse	Sultan Nazrin Muizzuddin Shah
Issue	Raja Azlan Muzzaffar Shah (Raja Kechil Besar) Raja Nazira Safya
Full name Yang Mulia Zara Salim Davidson (as birth)
Father	William Stanley Walker Davidson
Mother	Sharifah Azaliah Syed Omar Shahabudin
Religion	Sunni Islam

Perak Royal Family
HRH Sultan Dr. Nazrin Muizzuddin Shah, Sultan HRH Tuanku Zara Salim, Raja Permaisuri HH Raja Azlan Muzzaffar Shah, Raja Kechil Besar HH Raja Nazira Safya HH Raja Jaafar bin Almarhum Raja Muda Musa, Raja Muda HH Raja Nor Mahani, Raja Puan Besar Raja Shah Azman Raja Nor Azwina HH Raja Iskandar Dzulkarnain, Raja Di-Hilir HH Tunku Soraya, Raja Puan Muda Raja Nabil Imran Raja Idris Shah Raja Siffuddin Raja Sarina Intan Bahiyah Raja Safia Azizah HH Raja Ahmad Nazim Azlan Shah, Raja Kechil Sulong
Azlan Shah's family
HRH Tuanku Bainun, Sultan Azlan Muhibbuddin Shah's widow HH Raja Azureen The Hon. Muhammad Saleh The Hon. Latiff Mohd Saleh The Hon. Nurlin Mohd Saleh The Hon. Azlin Mohd Saleh The Hon. Azim Mohd Saleh Noraini Jane, Raja Ashman Shah's widow HH Raja Eminah Alliyah HH Raja Bainunnisa Safia HH Raja Eleena The Hon. Ismail Farouk The Hon. Omar Ismail Farouk The Hon. Imran Ismail Farouk The Hon. Ashman Ismail Farouk The Hon. Alia Ismail Farouk The Hon. Sofia Ismail Farouk HH Raja Yong Sofia HH Tunku Kamil HH Tunku Aznal Shahabudin of Kedah HH Tunku Amira Shahabudin of Kedah HH Tunku Maisara Shahabudin of Kedah

Tuanku Zara Salim (born 22 March 1973) Born Zara Salim Davidson at Ipoh, Perak, Malaysia she is the wife of the Sultan of Perak, Raja Dr Nazrin Shah Tuanku Zara has been conferred the title Raja Permaisuri of Perak on 20 June 2014. Upon her marriage on 17 May 2007, she became the Raja Puan Besar of Perak.

A chemical engineer by training, she currently heads an oil and gas consultancy firm based in Kuala Lumpur. She and the prince, who had been the country’s most eligible royal bachelor for decades, have known each other since the mid-nineties.

Early life

Born in the city of Ipoh on 22 March 1973, she is the youngest of four children of William Stanley Walker Davidson (Salim Davidson) and Sharifah Azaliah Syed Omar Shahabudin. She is a member of Kedah Royal Family. She has three elder brothers. Her father is a prominent lawyer in Perak and Kuala Lumpur.

Zara, who has a strong interest in foreign languages, studied at SMK Convent Ipoh and represented her school in squash and tennis from 1988 to 1990. She also represented Perak in swimming between 1981 and 1987.

After completing her A-Levels at Prime College in 1992, she left for the United Kingdom to study chemical engineering at the University of Nottingham and graduated with first class honours in July 1995. She also won the top student award for her final year project.

Her father-in-law, the Sultan of Perak, read law at the same university and was conferred the Bachelor of Laws degree in 1953 before being admitted to the English Bar in 1954.

Career

Zara joined the Business Evaluation Department in the Corporate Planning Unit of Petronas in December 1995 and was part of the team responsible for the successful establishment of the Kertih and Kuantan integrated petrochemical complexes, whose foreign partners included BP, BASF, Dow Chemicals and Mitsubishi.

She then became a Project Analyst in the Petronas Petrochemical Business Unit and was part of the core team developing the Petronas brand essence, which now forms part of the Petronas global branding strategy.

Between February 1999 and October 2000, she was a Product Manager at Petlin (Malaysia) Sdn Bhd, a Petronas joint venture with DSM of the Netherlands and Sasol of South Africa. She was also part of the Petronas project team to operationalise the largest single-train Low Density Polyethylene (LDPE) plant in the world at Kertih.

Zara left Petronas in November 2001 to become an Account Manager at Formis Network Services Sdn Bhd and then assumed the post of Vice-President of Partnerships and Alliances at Formis (Malaysia) Berhad, a technology-based company listed on Bursa Malaysia, between 2003 and 2005.

Between 2005 and 2007, Zara, who is a certified life-saver and adventure sports enthusiast, became the Managing Director of Forthwave Consulting Sdn Bhd, a hydrocarbon technical engineering and software development company in Kuala Lumpur.

Royal Connections

Zara Salim Davidson is the great-grandchild of Kedah's 24th ruler Sultan Abdul Hamid Halim Shah, Utusan Malaysia reported.

The Sultan ruled Kedah for 62 years from 1881 to 1943 and one of the Sultan's sons was Tunku Abdul Rahman, Malaysia's first prime minister. Therefore, she is also the grandniece of Tunku Abdul Rahman.

According to Zara's uncle Syed Mohd Aldinuri Syed Omar, Zara's mother Sharifah Azaliah Syed Omar was the daughter of Tunku Aminah, who was the daughter of Sultan Abdul Hamid and Che Manjalara.

From the marriage to Che Manjalara, Sultan Abdul Hamid had seven children, including Tunku Abdul Rahman Putra Al-Haj and Tunku Aminah.

Zara also has a close relationship with the current Sultan of Kedah, Sultan Abdul Halim Mu'adzam Shah Sultan Badlishah, who is the grandson of Sultan Abdul Hamid and a nephew to Tunku Abdul Rahman.

She is also the granddaughter of the former Kedah Menteri Besar Tan Sri Syed Omar Syed Abdullah Shahabudin. Tunku Aminah married Syed Omar, who became Kedah's second Mentri Besar after independence, from July 1959 to December 1967.

Marriage

Zara's wedding to Raja Nazrin Shah was held at Istana Iskandariah on 17 May 2007.

A day after the solemnisation of their vows, there was a special proclamation ceremony to bestow Zara with the official title of Raja Puan Besar of Perak.

The royal wedding reception took place on 19 May 2007.

The couple had their first child, a son named Raja Azlan Muzaffar Shah, was born on 14 March 2008. Their second child, a daughter named Raja Nazira Safya, was born on 2 August 2011.

Her son,Yang Amat Mulia Raja Azlan Muzzaffar Shah Ibni Sultan Nazrin Muizzuddin Shah was appointed as a new Raja Kechil Besar of Perak Darul Ridzuan effective on 20 June 2014. Raja Azlan Muzzaffar Shah is the eldest brother of Yang Amat Mulia Raja Nazira Safya.

Children and their date of birth

• Yang Teramat Mulia Raja Azlan Muzzaffar Shah, Raja Kechil Besar Perak (born on (2008-03-14)14 March 2008) (age &&&&&&&&&&&031878 years)
• Yang Teramat Mulia Raja Nazira Safya (born on (2011-08-02)2 August 2011) (age &&&&&&&&&&&019515 years)

Titles and Styles

• 22 March 1973 – 17 May 2007: Yang Mulia Zara Salim Davidson
• 17 May 2007 – 28 May 2014: Duli Yang Teramat Mulia Raja Puan Besar Perak Darul Ridzuan Tuanku Zara Salim
• 28 May 2014 – present: Duli Yang Maha Mulia Raja Permaisuri Perak Darul Ridzuan Tuanku Zara Salim

Honours

She has been awarded:^[1]

Honours of Perak

• Superior Class of the Perak Family Order of Sultan Azlan Shah ^[2] (18 May 2007).^[3]
• Member First Class of the Azlanii Royal Family Order.^[4]

References

1. ↑ The Royal Ark, Perak, p.16
2. ↑ Radin Blog, Royal Family of Perak, Photo of Crown Princess wearing DKSA
3. ↑ Utusan Online, Photo of Zara receiving DKSA
4. ↑ The Admire Hunkz, Photo of Crown Princess wearing DKA I

External links

Notes

• Zara Salim Davidson will become Raja Puan Besar of Perak The Star, 11 May 2007.
• Zara is great-grandchild of Kedah’s Sultan Abdul Hamid The Star, 11 May 2007.
• Ex-Nottingham U Top Student Zara Davidson To Wed Raja Muda Of Perak Bernama, 8 May 2007.
• Raja Muda Perak And Zara Tie The Knot Bernama, 17 May 2007.
• Tuanku Zara Is Raja Puan Besar Perak Bernama, 18 May 2007.
• Find Articles: Son for Raja Nazrin, Tunku Zara New Straits Times, 15 March 2008.
• Young prince makes the photographers day New Straits Times, 22 May 2012.
• ‘Confidence in legal system vital’ The Star, 23 May 2012.
• Lawasia: Lawyers - Dato’ William Stanley Walker Davidson Retrieved 30 January 2011.
• Perak - The Siak Dynasty: Genealogy Retrieved 30 January 2011.