They had 10 children, notably Hassanal Ibrahim, Muhammad Iskandar and Puteri Iman Afzan, including one adopted son, Amir Nasser.

During his time at Sandhurst, he formed friendships with several individuals, including Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, who would later become the President of the United Arab Emirates and Ruler of Abu Dhabi, as well as Zulkiple Kassim, who was his senior and later became the Chief of Army.

His service led to his promotion to the rank of captain in 1980, where he served as a cavalry officer in the Royal Armoured Corps.

The ceremony marking Abdullah's ascension to the throne was held at the Istana Abu Bakar, the official residence of the sultan.

On 24 January 2019, the Conference of Rulers elected Abdullah as the 16th Yang di-Pertuan Agong (King of Malaysia), replacing Sultan Muhammad V of Kelantan, who had abdicated a few weeks earlier.

[4] Abdullah was officially sworn in on 31 January 2019, in a public ceremony, taking up residence at the Istana Negara, Jalan Tuanku Abdul Halim.

[15] During this time, the Conference of Rulers also elected Sultan Nazrin Muizzuddin Shah of Perak as the Deputy Yang di-Pertuan Agong.

[14] At the time of his appointment, Hassanal was still pursuing his studies at the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst in the United Kingdom.

[18][19] Abdullah's reign as Yang di-Pertuan Agong coincided with a politically challenging period in Malaysian history.

During this time, there were significant political changes and challenges, including the fall of the Pakatan Harapan (PH) administration and the appointment of a new prime minister.

On 25 October 2020, Abdullah rejected Muhyiddin's request to declare a state of emergency in response to a spike in COVID-19 cases throughout Malaysia.

[20] However, on 12 January 2021, Abdullah issued a nationwide Proclamation of Emergency until 1 August 2021, to address the ongoing spread of COVID-19 and a political crisis involving Muhyiddin's government.

This emergency suspended parliament and elections, allowing the Malaysian government to introduce laws without parliamentary scrutiny.

[21][22] The decision on the government's handling of the COVID-19 pandemic and the suspension of parliament led to various public reactions, including protests and calls for political change.

[23][24][25][26][27] On 16 August 2021, following a loss of majority support,[28][29] Muhyiddin and his cabinet resigned, and Abdullah appointed Ismail Sabri Yaakob as the 9th Prime Minister of Malaysia.

He has also participated in tournaments in Singapore, the Philippines, Brunei, Argentina, the United States, Spain, Belgium and Thalland.

Beyond his royal responsibilities, Abdullah was actively engaged in international sports governance, serving as a distinguished member of the FIFA Council from 2015 to 2019.

She is the third daughter of Sultan Iskandar of Johor by his first wife, Enche' Besar Khalsom binti Abdullah (née Josephine Ruby Trevorrow).

Abdullah also adopted a son before the birth of his own: Tengku Amir Nasser Ibrahim Shah and Puteri Suraiya Afzan Binti Mohamed Moiz, the Che Puan Panglima married on 19 December 2013.