Last July 26, Her Royal Highness Princess Rashidah Sa'adatul Bolkiah, the eldest daughter of Brunei Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah Mu'izzaddin Waddaulah, celebrated her birthday at the Istana Sports Club.
And a Pinay celebrity was invited to sing—Iya Villania, who rendered her versions of "Love Song," "Bad Romance," "Love Story," "Money Honey," "Smile" and "Last Dance." Other invited guests were two popular film actors from Indonesia, Joshua and Dimas.
Talking about her experience, Iya related, "Performing for the Royal Family was something that I never even considered adding to my list of things to achieve, because it just seemed so fictitious and unattainable a goal for me.
"It was an experience that had me questioning why and how I could've been so lucky to be there. I had to keep on telling myself that I was in the same table as the Royal Family because it was just so make believe, and to be able to converse and laugh with them really made it both so unreal and real at the same time. It's definitely an experience that I'll never forget, even if I tried too."
The intimate barbecue dinner party was attended by the Crown Prince HRH Al-Muhtadee Billah, the successor to the Sultan, and his wife HRH Princess Sarah. Of course, the celebrator's husband HRH Yang Amat Mulia, and her brother HRH Prince Malik were also present.
After her performance, the 24-year-old star received a gift from the Princess: a limited edition of Louis Vuitton, which is priced at 4,000 U.S. dollars or roughly 180,000 pesos!
She also had the chance to visit the Empire Hotel, the famous Water Village, and some of the malls and mosques, with the members and friends of the Royal Family.