With the encouragement of her father and her own desire to equip herself for the future, she left for England in 1954 to further her studies at the Upper Chime School, Isle of Wight.

[2][7] Tengku Zanariah is also the former beauty queen and historically was the first ever Miss International Malaysia titleholders.

[9] MAWAR also collected donations for distribution among flood victims in Johor as well as the less fortunate and the needy.

[note 1] The current royal court also does not recognise her as a former holder of the title Sultanah of Johor.

She paid special attention to the selection and arrangement of decorations in the palace particularly in preparation for official dinners.

Tengku Zanariah also loved reading especially about culture, history and affairs of neighbouring countries.

During her free time, Tengku Zanariah loved to exercise, ride horses and play golf or tennis.