Tunku Dato' Seri Nadzaruddin ibni Almarhum Tuanku Ja'afar (born 26 October 1959) is a member of Negeri Sembilan royal family and a pretender to the Negeri Sembilan throne since April 2026. He is the youngest son of Tuanku Jaafar ibni Almarhum Tuanku Abdul Rahman, the 10th Yang di-Pertuan Besar of Negeri Sembilan, who was also the tenth Yang di-Pertuan Agong (King of Malaysia). He was the Tunku Panglima Besar of Negeri Sembilan from 2008 to 2026.
Contents
Early life and education
Tunku Nadzaruddin was born in Kuala Lumpur, Selangor on 26 October 1959 as the youngest of six siblings and the third son of Tuanku Ja'afar and Tunku Ampuan Najihah.
Tunku Nadzaruddin was educated at St. Paul's Institution and King George V School in Seremban and later at Cheltenham College in England. He obtained a Bachelor of Science (Hons) in Mathematics from Middlesex University, England.
2026 Negeri Sembilan constitutional crisis
On 19 April 2026 at the Balai Undang Luak Sungei Ujong, the Undang Yang Empat announced the removal of Tuanku Muhriz Tuanku Munawir as Yang di-Pertuan Besar of Negeri Sembilan due to alleged misconduct and named Tunku Nadzaruddin as the 12th Yang di-Pertuan Besar. The Pakatan Harapan-led Negeri Sembilan state government rejected the declaration as Dato' Mubarak Dohak, who signed and read the declaration, had no authority as Undang of Sungei Ujong after he was removed from the position effective 13 May 2025 for 33 alleged offences of the traditions and customary laws.
On 5 June, Nadzaruddin was proclaimed as the 12th Yang di-Pertuan Besar of Negeri Sembilan in a ceremony held at a hotel in Alor Gajah, Malacca. The proclamation was declared by the Undang of Jelebu, Dato' Maarof Mat Rashad, who represented the Undang Yang Empat. On the same day, Tuanku Muhriz dissolved the state government, leading to a snap state election won by UMNO-PAS. On 9 June, the Comptroller of the Royal Household of the Negeri Sembilan Palace, Dato' Azizi Mohamad Ali said that the proclamation was invalid, and not even recognised from the perspective of the Constitution, laws and customs of Negeri Sembilan. Azizi also said that the act of attempting to accept the invalid title itself caused Nadzaruddin to relinquish the hereditary title of Tunku Panglima Besar of Negeri Sembilan.
On 16 September, the Negeri Sembilan state executive council, chaired by the Chief Minister Dato' Ismail Lasim, officially announced the dethronement of Tuanku Muhriz as the Yang di-Pertuan Besar and recognised Nadzaruddin as the new ruler. The Dewan Keadilan dan Undang (DKU) rejected the removal as unconstitutional and void, and the state secretary office refused to gazette or take any action to implement a proclamation seeking to remove Tuanku Muhriz from the throne after accepting advice from the Attorney General’s Chambers.
Personal life
Tunku Nadzaruddin is married to Tunku Mimi Wahida binti Tunku Abdullah Wahman, a former newsreader. They have two sons and one daughter:
Tunku Muhammad Hazim Shah Raden bin Tunku Nadzaruddin (born 23 September 1999)
Tunku Muhammad Mish'al Raden bin Tunku Nadzaruddin (born 30 April 2001)
Tunku Ines Najihah Raden binti Tunku Nadzaruddin (born 23 September 2003)
Honours
Honours of Malaysia
Negeri Sembilan
Recipient of the Royal Family Order of Yam Tuan Radin Sunnah (DKYR) (1984)
Knight Grand Commander of the Grand Order of Tuanku Ja'afar (SPTJ) – Dato' Seri (2000)