Kulim Club

I saw this old, faded picture on the wall somewhere in Bukit Mertajam. I'm not going to say where I saw it because I don't want to give away its location, but the photograph was taken at the Kulim Club which was celebrating its 80th anniversary in 1992. The one impression that struck me was that Royalty (the Sultan and the late Sultanah of Kedah) were sitting so far apart. Why? Was it part of protocol that they had to? Anyway, the gap in the middle of the sofa made the photo look imbalanced.