New Malaysian king crowned amid reports of predecessor's divorce from Russian beauty queen
Malaysia has installed a new British-educated king after the shock abdication of the former monarch to marry a former Russian beauty queen.
Sultan Abdullah Ri'ayatuddin of Pahang, 60, who was educated at Sandhurst military academy and Oxford university, and who served on the FIFA Council, football’s highest governing body, was crowned as the 16th Malaysian king on Tuesday in a ceremony steeped in royal tradition.
Malaysia is the only country in the world with an elected monarch, with the heads of nine royal households rotating as king every five years.
Sultan Abdullah, who used his coronation speech to call for an end to racial divisions, acceded the throne after his predecessor stepped down after having served only two years in power.
Sultan Muhammad V of Kelantan, 49, abdicated in January this year, just months after marrying Oksana Voyevodina, 27, a former Russian beauty queen in a secret ceremony in Barvikha, a ritzy Moscow suburb home to many of Russia's rich and powerful.
By doing so, he became the first monarch to resign since Malaysia gained independence from Britain in 1957, and the Istana Negara, the royal palace, refused to reveal any details of his controversial move.
Ms Voyevodina, who was crowned Miss Moscow in 2015, converted to Islam, taking the name Rihana Oksana Petra.
The couple’s nuptials were only officially confirmed by Ms Voyevodina in June, after she broke her silence via a series of posts on Instagram, in which she described their love story, lavish wedding and the birth of their son, Tengku Ismail Leon.
However, in a further twist, reports emerged earlier this month that the couple had split at the former king’s behest and a copy of their alleged divorce certificate was circulated online.
According to a report in the New Straits Times, the divorce was finalised by uttering the word “talaq” three times, the most irreconcilable form of divorce in Islam.
On Jul 20, Koh Tien Hua, the sultan’s lawyer, reportedly stated that the divorce had taken place on June 22 in accordance with Sharia laws and in front of two competent Muslim witnesses.
But as recently as five days ago, Ms Voyevodina denied the reports. “I wonder what the hell is going on?” she asked on Instagram, next to a picture of herself alone and veiled in a blue headscarf in a palatial courtyard.
Describing the news reports as “garbage,” she added: “My husband is a good Muslim, he would not take such action without my knowledge.”
Channel News Asia reported that her lawyers have also dismissed divorce rumours and allegations that the baby may not be the sultan’s child.
“As for paternity, what is there to comment on? It is they who must prove that the child is a stranger, and it is not for us to justify ourselves,” said Evgeny Tarlo, Ms Voyevodina’s lawyer. “Oksana is a married woman and Faris (the sultan) is the father of her child. It is immutable.”
But as the mystery deepened, CNA reported on Monday that Eversheds Harris Elias, the legal firm representing Sultan Muhammad rejected reports that his marriage was still valid.
In a statement on Monday, Eversheds said: “We have our instructions to make no further comments on any false or untrue claims raised in social media. On behalf of HRH, we request that HRH’s privacy be respected.”
