KUALA LUMPUR: A ceremony steeped in military tradition welcomed the arrival of His Majesty Sultan Ibrahim at Istana Negara today.
His Majesty, who arrived at the palace at 10.40 am to take the oath of office as the 17th Yang di-Pertuan Agong, was greeted by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.
Sultan Ibrahim then acknowledged the Royal Salute from the main guard-of-honour mounted by four officers and 103 men from the 1st Battalion Royal Malay Regiment led by Major Nurul Fauzan Md Sabri at the Istana Negara Square.
Simultaneously, the 40-member Central Band of the Royal Malay Regiment led by Lieutenant Muhammad Fauzee Japar played the national anthem, Negaraku, before His Majesty inspected the main guard-of-honour.
After the ceremony, Sultan Ibrahim proceeded to enter the palace to attend the 264th Meeting of the Conference of Rulers (Special) in conjunction with the swearing-in ceremony of the 17th Yang di-Pertuan Agong and Deputy Yang di-Pertuan Agong.
Sultan Ibrahim will replace Al-Sultan Abdullah Ri'ayatuddin Mustafa Billah Shah, whose five-year reign as the 16th Yang di-Pertuan Agong ended yesterday.
– BERNAMA