SULTAN of Kelantan Sultan Muhammad V has divorced his Russian wife Rihana Oksana Voevodina, reports The New Straits Times.

The union between the 50-year-old sultan and 26-year-old former beauty pageant contestant lasted just over a year.

The report said its sources confirmed the divorce was finalised on July 1, in a filing of documents at the Singapore Syariah Court on June 22.

It also reported while the cause of the divorce is still unknown, a copy of the divorce certificate that had made its way online seems to show it is a “talak tiga” – irrevocable divorce.

Sultan Muhammad’s marriage to Voevodina, reportedly took place on June 7 last year, took many Malaysians by surprise.

It was only about six months later in January that word got out that the sultan, who was then the Yang di-Pertuan Agong, tied the knot when video clips of the wedding reception made the rounds internationally.

But there was such secrecy over the marriage that Istana Negara did not issue any official announcement.

Sultan Muhammad has yet to issue a statement over the report of his divorce.

Voevodina, an Instagram user with 341,000 followers, made no posting of the reported divorce, according to the NST.

“There are only 14 posts on the account, most of them centred on the couple’s relationship, her background, her son and the details of their wedding.”

One posting, which NST reported its sources as claiming the Kelantan royal family felt disturbed by, was when Voevodina expressed the hope that their son would one day become the state’s crown prince and the future king of Malaysia.

Under the “talak tiga” divorce, the sultan and Voevodina cannot remarry unless she marries another man, and the man divorces her on his own free will, or he passes on. – July 17, 2019.