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Model speaks out on forced marriage to Malaysian prince: ‘I did not have a real choice’
Manohara Odelia, married at 16, claims her marriage to Malaysian prince Tengku Fakhry was coercive and not consensual.
In the year 2008, Malaysian prince Tengku Fakhry married an Indonesian-American model named Manohara Odelia. Manohara was just 16 at the time of her ‘marriage’, and she fled Malaysia a year later, alleging daily sexual abuse and physical punishments at the hand of her husband.
She has now opened up about the incident, saying the relationship was never consensual and the marriage was not legal. The Indonesian model, now 33, said that she was underage at the time and objected to media’s use of the word “ex-wife” while writing about her.
Context on Malaysian prince’s marriage
Tengku Muhammad Fakhry Petra, the son of the Sultan of Malaysia’s Kelantan state, married Indonesian model Manohara Odelia Pinot in 2008 when she was just 16. The marriage quickly became controversial, with Manohara later alleging that she was subjected to physical and emotional abuse, strict control and isolation while living in Kelantan.
She claimed she was not allowed to move freely, had limited contact with her family, and was effectively confined within the palace.
In 2009, Manohara made a dramatic escape to Indonesia from a hotel in Singapore during a royal family trip. She escaped with the help of her mother, local police and officials from the US embassy.
“Sexual abuse and sexual harassment were like a daily routine for me,” she later told an Indonesia news outlet Detik, according to ABC News. “And he did that every time I did not want to have sexual intercourse.”
Manohara on her ‘ex-wife’ status
In a post shared more than 15 years after her escape and divorce, Manohara Odelia objected to being classified as “Mantan Istri”, which means “ex wife”.
“For many years, I have repeatedly been referred to in articles and headlines as “Mantan Istri [blank].”
I am writing to respectfully clarify that this description is inaccurate and misleading,” the Indonesian model said in an Instagram post dated January 5, 2026. (Also read: Malaysia prince sues Indonesia teen wife for libel)
Not a legal marriage
Manohara Odelia said that what occurred during her adolescence was not a consensual relationship. Without naming the prince directly, she said the marriage was not legal as she was a minor at the time.
“What occurred during my teenage years was not a romantic relationship, not a consensual relationship, and not a legal marriage,” she wrote.
“There was never a relationship I wanted, agreed to, or entered into voluntarily.”
She explained that using the term “mantan istri” wrongly suggests that she was an adult who willingly entered a legal marriage, which is not true. As a minor, she lacked the capacity to provide genuine consent, and the situation amounted to coercion rather than a legitimate union.
“At the time, I was a minor and was in a situation of coercion and lack of freedom, meaning I did not have a real choice or the capacity to give consent,” Manohara wrote.
Manohara requested that journalists, editors, and digital platforms, including Google and Wikipedia, cease using this term when referring to her, emphasising that the concern was not about revisiting the past but about ensuring accuracy, ethical reporting, and responsible use of language.
