Malaysia installs its new king after previous monarch married Russian beauty queen and abdicated
Malaysia installed a new king today after the last monarch abdicated in a historic first following his reported marriage to a Russian ex-beauty queen.
Sultan Abdullah Sultan Ahmad Shah was crowned monarch after Sultan Muhammad V stepped down following his marriage to former Miss Moscow, Oksana Voevodina.
In a ceremony steeped in pomp and centuries of tradition, the sports-loving sultan, dressed in aqua blue formal wear, took the oath of office at the national palace in Kuala Lumpur.
The ceremony was televised nationally and attended by Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad and hundreds of guests decked out in Islamic finery.
Before being sworn in at the palace, the 59-year-old, who is also the ceremonial ruler of central Pahang state, was given a welcome at the national parliament and inspected a guard of honour.
Malaysia’s new king, Sultan Abdullah Sultan Ahmad Shah, salutes next to Queen Tunku Azizah Aminah Maimunah and Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad (center) during his welcome ceremony at Parliament House in Kuala Lumpur today
Malaysia’s new king, Sultan Abdullah Sultan Ahmad Shah, salutes next to Queen Tunku Azizah Aminah Maimunah and Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad (center) during his welcome ceremony at Parliament House in Kuala Lumpur today
Oksana Voevodina has worked as a model in Asia
Oksana Voevodina has worked as a model in Asia
The bride takes a selfie with her husband at their wedding
The bride takes a selfie with her husband at their wedding
Sultan Abdullah Sultan Ahmad Shah greeted by the people at a military airport in Kuantan, state of Pahang before heading to his swearing in ceremony
Sultan Abdullah Sultan Ahmad Shah greeted by the people at a military airport in Kuantan, state of Pahang before heading to his swearing in ceremony
His predecessor, Sultan Muhammad V, stepped aside this month following just two years on the throne after he went on medical leave. Reports then surfaced he had married a former Miss Moscow in November.
No official reason was given for his abdication, but it was the first time a king had stepped aside before the end of his term in the Muslim-majority country.
Malaysia is a constitutional monarchy with a unique arrangement where the national throne changes hands every five years between royal rulers of the country’s nine states.
Pahang was next in line for the throne after Muhammad V stepped down, and Sultan Abdullah was formally chosen as the country’s 16th king by Malaysia’s royal families last week.
King Sultan Abdullah Sultan Ahmad Shah taking the oath as the 16th King of Malaysia at the National Palace in Kuala Lumpur
King Sultan Abdullah Sultan Ahmad Shah taking the oath as the 16th King of Malaysia at the National Palace in Kuala Lumpur
The new King of Malaysia inspecting honour guards during the welcoming ceremony at the Parliament House ahead of being officially sworn in today
The new King of Malaysia inspecting honour guards during the welcoming ceremony at the Parliament House ahead of being officially sworn in today
The new king kissing his younger brother, Tengku Abdul Rahman Sultan Ahmad Shah (right) at the military airport in Kuantan, state of Pahang before departing to Kuala Lumpur
The new king kissing his younger brother, Tengku Abdul Rahman Sultan Ahmad Shah (right) at the military airport in Kuantan, state of Pahang before departing to Kuala Lumpur
Malaysia’s Conference of Rulers picked the new king from nine hereditary state rulers on January 24.
The new king is an avid athlete who holds a string of positions on sporting bodies. He is on the council of world football governing body FIFA, president of the Asian Hockey Association, and used to be the head of the Football Association of Malaysia.
After attending school in Malaysia, the keen polo player went on to study in Britain where he attended the Sandhurst military academy, according to a biography published on official news agency Bernama.
Despite the merely ceremonial role, Malaysia’s Islamic royalty command great respect, especially from Muslim Malays, the country’s majority group, and criticising them is strictly forbidden.
Portraits of the king and queen adorn government buildings throughout the country. The king is also the symbolic head of Islam in the nation, as well as the nominal chief of the military.
Early in the New Year, Sultan Muhammad V (pictured) abdicated, a shock move that was linked by some reports to his controversial marriage
Early in the New Year, Sultan Muhammad V (pictured) abdicated, a shock move that was linked by some reports to his controversial marriage
Former Miss Moscow, Oksana Voevodina, worked as a model in China and Thailand, and there were reports she was expecting their first child
Former Miss Moscow, Oksana Voevodina, worked as a model in China and Thailand, and there were reports she was expecting their first child
Malaysia’s sultans trace a lineage back to the 15th century. The king is referred to as Yang di-Pertuan Agong, or ‘He Who Is Made Lord’.
Voevodina caused a stir with her risqué pictures and claims that she had had sex with another contestant in a swimming pool during a Russian TV reality show filmed in Mexico in which she starred under a fake name.
The past of the royal bride came to light following her surprise royal nuptials.
She held a champagne glass as she allegedly ‘surprised the participants of a reality show by having sex on her first date’, according to Moscow reports.
Pictures from the show were widely publicised amid claims the beauty queen’s past had met with disapproval in conservative Malaysia.
There were reports the former model, who had worked in China and Thailand, was expecting the couple’s first child.
