Malaysian royal love stories: who had a real life Emily In Paris courtship, why did Abdullah of Pahang and Tunku Azizah write so many love letters, and which polo-loving prince and princess still play together?

While the lovebirds of the British monarchy regularly grace global magazine covers, Malaysian royals prefer to remain out of the spotlight. However that’s not to say they haven’t given us any glimpses into their private lives over the years. After all, everyone loves a heartwarming love story, especially one where a prince meets a princess. From scribbling heartfelt love letters to a real-life Emily in Paris style story – here are three tales of Malaysia’s respected royal couples. The world’s richest royals, ranked Sultan Abdullah Ri’ayatuddin and Tunku Azizah Malaysia’s ruling king and queen actually met when they were teenagers, but rarely spent time together until their early twenties as the then-Johor princess, Tunku Azizah Aminah Maimunah Iskandariah was not allowed to go on dates, according to the New Straits Times. Still, it didn’t stop the then-Pahang prince Abdullah Ri’ayatuddin from writing love letters to his beloved. They married in March 1986, 13 years after they first set eyes on each other. While most royals would hire personal chefs, Tunku Azizah reportedly regularly cooks and bakes her own recipes such as fried noodles and chocolate muffins for her husband. Queen Elizabeth’s favourite TV shows, from Downton Abbey to Doctor Who Tunku Ismail Idris and Khaleeda Bustamam His younger brother may be the family’s headline stealer, but, fondly known as TMJ, Johor’s crown prince and heir to the state’s throne Tunku Ismail Idris described meeting Khaleeda during a local polo game as “love at first sight” during an interview with TV station Astro Awani. She’d initially assumed he was a mere polo player and wasn’t aware of his blue blood status. The pair tied the knot in a private ceremony back in 2014 and now share many athletic hobbies together including horseback riding and football, as Tunku Ismail is also the president of the Johor state’s football club. Which Asprey pieces does Kate Middleton own? Despite having led the royal military, Ismail may not be as tough as his wife when it comes to certain natural processes. Khaleeda once told her Instagram followers that her husband has not seen her in labour with their three children as the prince gets terribly anxious at the sight of blood. 7 reasons Princess Charlene of Monaco would rather forget 2020 Tengku Zatashah and Aubry Mennesson In a turn of events more like something from Netflix’s Emily in Paris, Selangor royal Tengku Zatashah met her husband Aubry Mennesson in 2005 while she was working as a communications manager at L’Oréal in France and studying for her master's degree. Mennesson had been asked to show Zatashah around Paris as she was relatively new to the area. The smitten pair were married two years later at the Grande Mosquée de Paris. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Aubry Mennesson (@aubrykl) From Princess Diana to Megan Markle: when British royals escape the palace to go shopping Having fallen head-over-heels for the go-getting princess, Mennesson actually wrote a book about his wife, titled Ma Princesse, le Sultan et Moi (My Princess, the Sultan and I), published it 11 years ago. “One paragraph on her qualities was just not enough,” the Frenchman told Tatler. They’ve been spotted travelling across the globe and also taking part in local marathons together. Tengku Zatashah also cheers for her husband at the annual Ironman triathlon on Langkawi island. Want more stories like this? Sign up here. Follow STYLE on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube and Twitter.