Indonesian-American model Manohara Odelia has publicly challenged the long-standing narrative around her 2008 marriage to Malaysian royal Tengku Muhammad Fakhry Petra, stating that the union was neither consensual nor legal but a case of coercive child marriage.
In a detailed statement shared on Instagram, Odelia, now 33, said she was just 16 at the time and lacked the freedom and capacity to give informed consent. She urged media organisations and digital platforms to correct how her story is described, calling the use of terms like “ex-wife” misleading and unethical.
“Not a Consensual or Legal Marriage”
Odelia clarified that what has often been portrayed as a marriage or relationship was, in her words, “coercive, non-consensual, and illegal.” She emphasised that as a minor, she did not voluntarily enter into the union and was subjected to isolation and control.
.jpg)
“What occurred during my teenage years was not a romantic relationship, not a consensual relationship, and not a legal marriage,” she wrote. “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.”
She specifically objected to the Indonesian term “mantan istri” (ex-wife), arguing that it implies a lawful and voluntary adult marriage. “That implication is false,” she said, adding that such language sanitises the reality of child marriage and abuse.
Life Inside the Kelantan Palace
In 2008, Tengku Muhammad Fakhry Petra, son of the Sultan of Malaysia’s Kelantan state, married Odelia when she was still a teenager. According to her account, her life after the marriage took a dark turn.
She alleged that she lived under strict surveillance within the Kelantan royal palace, with little freedom of movement and limited contact with her parents. In previous interviews, Odelia has spoken about enduring physical and sexual abuse, as well as harassment, claiming that refusal was met with punishment.
Her Instagram statement reiterated that the year she spent in the palace involved “strict control, isolation, and abuse,” contradicting any portrayal of the period as a conventional royal marriage.
Dramatic Escape and Call for Ethical Reporting
In 2009, a year after the marriage, Odelia made a dramatic escape from a hotel in Singapore during a royal trip. With the help of her mother, local authorities, and the US embassy, she returned to Indonesia, an incident that drew international attention at the time.
Now, years later, Odelia says reclaiming the narrative is essential not just for her, but for how child marriage and abuse are discussed publicly. She called on journalists, editors, and platforms like Google and Wikipedia to adopt accurate and ethical language.
“Continuing to introduce articles with this mischaracterisation is not only inaccurate,” she wrote, “it is unethical journalism.”
