Princess Hayu


Princess Hayu is fourth child and daughter of Sultan Hamengkubuwana X of Yogyakarta and his consort, Ratu Hemas. She is married to Prince Notonegoro, an executive in United Nations Development Programme Indonesia and a professional in the United Nations, New York, United States.

Early life

Princess Hayu was born in Yogyakarta on 24 December 1983. She is the fourth daughter of five siblings: 1. Princess Pembayun, 2. Princess Condrokirono, 3. Princess Maduretno, 4. Princess Hayu and 5. Princess Bendara. She spend her early childhood mostly in Yogyakarta. One of her particular interest when she was a child was game, mostly puzzles and Lego. In her adolescent days, she also enjoyed sports especially roller-skating. She competed on a national championship to represent her province in 1992 and won a gold medal.
Princess Hayu, attended junior high school in Australia for a year before returning to Indonesia. She then continued her studies at SMAN 3 Padmanaba Highschool Yogyakarta, a high school that was also attended by her husband Prince Notonegoro. After spending a year in Padmanaba Highschool, she moved to Singapore and went to the International School of Singapore.
Following her graduation from high school, Hayu decided to study Information Technology. She took a Computer Science Major at Stevens Institute of Technology, in the US, before moving to Bournemouth University in England to study Design and IT Project Management.

Marriage

Hayu's marriage to Prince Notonegoro received heavy public attention since the engagement was announced on 20 June 2013 The couple had been dating for 10 years and knew each other from young age as their mothers are friends. Hayu's mother Ratu Hemas requested Noto to help her daughter when she started attending college in the US. Notonegoro who was pursuing a graduate study in the US at that time, met the princess in New York and the romance began there.
Since Hayu was the last one to get married, the wedding was arranged as a cultural event for the people in Yogyakarta. While the previous royal weddings only involved a parade of five royal horse carriages, Hayu's wedding had twelve horse carriages to transport all the member of the Royal Family of Yogyakarta. The wedding also manage to boost tourism in Yogyakarta which is a touristic destination in the first place.
On 22 October 2013, Princess Hayu was officially married to Prince Notonegoro. The royal wedding of Yogyakarta Palace was conducted in three consecutive days. Thousands of guests attended the royal wedding including the President of the Republic of Indonesia Mr. Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono
Consistent with the Muslim tradition, the wedding solemnisation ritual Ijab qabul was conducted by the Sultan himself without the presence of the bride. The wedding vow was conducted in archaic Javanese language which translates as:
"I, Prince Notonegoro, today carry out your Highness's command to marry your daughter Gusti Kanjeng Ratu Hayu with the Holy Quran and a set of prayer outfits as a dowry."
At the culmination of the wedding Princess Hayu and Prince Notonegoro were paraded in the city. Thousands of people turned out to witness this parade.

Professional experience

Following her graduation from college, Princess Hayu then worked at a software house in Jakarta as a project manager for internet banking. After three years in this business, she moved to her hometown Yogyakarta and became a game producer for Gameloft, a global game company. She is now also serve as the chief of Tepas Tandha Yekti, a new department in the Palace which manages IT and documentation affairs.
Hayu's figure as a professional worker has changed people's perceptions about the role and status of women in the Javanese royal court. Princess Hayu was seen as a modern independent woman which negates the image of woman being subservient in Javanese culture especially among royals.
Hayu's professional career