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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

Almost Paradise star Samantha Richelle has royal roots but she’s kept it very low-key. Photo: @samrichelle/Instagram
Almost Paradise star Samantha Richelle has royal roots but she’s kept it very low-key. Photo: @samrichelle/Instagram

  • 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.

Samantha Richelle is a social media star. Photo: @samrichelle/Instagram
Samantha Richelle is a social media star. Photo: @samrichelle/Instagram
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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Samantha Richelle is low-key about her private life. Photo: @samrichelle/Instagram
Samantha Richelle is low-key about her private life. Photo: @samrichelle/Instagram

So, what do we know about the talented 34-year-old blue-blooded fashionista?

Samantha Richelle has royal roots

Samantha Richelle is said to hail from Bruneian royalty. Photo: @samrichelle/Instagram
Samantha Richelle is said to hail from Bruneian royalty. Photo: @samrichelle/Instagram

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.

Samantha Richelle has opened up about her acting career in interviews. Photo: @samrichelle/Instagram
Samantha Richelle has opened up about her acting career in interviews. Photo: @samrichelle/Instagram
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.