PETALING JAYA (THE STAR/ASIA NEWS NETWORK) - The Kelantan palace on Friday (Sept 6) urged Malaysians not to be swayed by the dissemination of false and untrue information on social media about the royal household.
The move comes days after former Russian beauty queen Oksana Voevodina shared details on her Instagram account about her first meeting with former husband Sultan Muhammad V of Kelantan.
She had also hinted she is ready to tell all about their brief marriage.
In a statement on Friday, Kelantan Royal Household Comptroller Nik Mohd Shafriman Nik Hassan said only official statements issued by the state palace and Sultan Muhammad V can be considered as accurate information and as points of reference for all quarters.
"His Royal Highness Sultan Muhammad V, as the Kelantan Ruler, should not be associated with slander and the subject of lies on social media."
"These lies told on social media have defamed the Kelantan Sultanate and the Kelantan royal family," said Datuk Nik Mohd Shafriman.
Ms Voevodina, 27, whose marriage to Sultan Muhammad V and subsequent divorce have attracted much public attention this year, shared the post on Wednesday, which was accompanied by a candid photo of the couple.
In the photo, the pair are seen having a candle-lit dinner, with the former Malaysian King playfully making the peace sign gesture above Ms Voevodina's head.
In her post, Ms Voevodina, who also goes by the name Rihana Oksana Petra, said she knew instantly that Sultan Muhammad V would be the father of her children when they met.
The former Miss Moscow said he told her that "women always used him for money" and that having children "was the biggest dream of his life".
She recounted that on one occasion, after moving to Malaysia with the Sultan, he appeared to her in his traditional costume and then laid out a Muslim prayer mat. Ms Voevodina said it was the first time she had seen a Muslim prayer being performed in front of her.
The Kelantan palace on Friday expressed regret over the dissemination of personal pictures of Sultan Muhammad V and inappropriate posts regarding his personal life in the social media.
"Hence, the Kelantan palace has decided to deviate from the norm and respond to untrue and defamatory statements on social media to defuse the confusion that such postings have caused amongst the people."
Mr Nik Mohd Shafriman also said that the Kelantan ruler had expressed regret that the personal choices made in his private life have caused confusion among Malaysians.
"His Royal Highness hopes that the people would spare their time to pray for the health and well-being of His Royal Highness' ailing father, His Royal Highness Sultan Ismail Petra, whom he loves dearly," added Mr Nik Mohd Shafriman.
Ms Voevodina and Sultan Muhammad V were said to have married on June 7 last year when he was the Malaysian King, but it was only months later that video clips of their wedding reception made the rounds internationally.
News of the end of their whirlwind marriage broke in July, with the Sultan's lawyer in Singapore confirming to The Straits Times on July 20 that the divorce was carried out in Singapore on June 22 in accordance with syariah laws.
However, Ms Voevodina has been coy about her relationship with the Sultan, refusing to directly address media speculation about their split and at times insisting that the pair were still married.
Even as numerous reports about their break-up swirled in the media, she continued to post carefully obscured photos of their son Ismail Leon, who was born on May 21, and share her experiences on motherhood as well as anecdotes about her royal romance.
But Ms Voevodina began hinting at opening up about her marriage four days ago.
Writing in a post accompanied by a wefie shot of the couple, Ms Voevodina said: "Before, I was not ready to reveal my story... Maybe, if I tell you the truth, I will feel better... but I just don't want to hurt anyone."
The Sultan's lawyer had told ST that a divorce certificate was issued on July 1 after the split was approved by the Kelantan Syariah Court.
Sultan Muhammad V has kept mum about the relationship and made few public appearances since his surprise move to step down on Jan 6, becoming the first monarch in the country's history to abdicate.
He had ascended the throne in December 2016 and was meant to serve for five years under a rotating monarchy system shared between the country's nine royal households.
He previously appeared in a video interview that Ms Voevodina posted saying that family was his top priority "because the children carry on your legacy".
