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Meet Bruneian royal turned Filipino actress, Samantha Richelle: the star of Amazon Prime’s Almost Paradise and daughter of Prince Jefri Bolkiah is also a fashion designer who loves Dior and Versace
STORYFaye Bradley
- Season 2 of American-Filipino crime drama Almost Paradise was just released, starring Christian Kane and actress Samantha Richelle, who also has writing and directing credits
- Although she hails from Bruneian royalty, she’s kept it very low-key – instead she shifts fans’ focus to her fashion brand, tattoos, family life and a designer wardrobe that includes Dior and Versace
American-Filipino crime drama Almost Paradise has just released its second season on Amazon Prime Video, following the story of a former DEA agent who’s forced into retirement and moves to the beautiful island of Cebu.
What some fans might not know though is that one of its main cast members has a royal heritage. Samantha Richelle, who plays Kai Mendoza on the programme, has lineage that traces to the uber-wealthy Brunei royal family.
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So, what do we know about the talented 34-year-old blue-blooded fashionista?
Samantha Richelle has royal roots
Richelle had a very international upbringing. She was born in Brunei, moved to Los Angeles for high school, then migrated to London and back to Los Angeles, before heading to the Philippines where she is now based.
According to Singaporean media, she is the daughter of Brunei’s Prince Jefri Bolkiah, who is the brother of the region’s sultan. The same source states that she keeps her royal background relatively hush-hush. Richelle is reportedly close to Princess Ezurin, who’s also an active social media star.