Not all princess stories have a fairy tale ending. I just read a fascinating article in the LA Times about an Indonesian woman who became a Malaysian Princess as a teenager. Manohara Odelia Pinot, who is a former model, married Malaysian Prince Tengku Muhammad Fakhry Petra.

By her account, the marriage to the Prince quickly turned into a nightmare of physical and sexual abuse. On the other side of the coin, Prince Tengku successfully sued both Manohara and her mother for defamation of character. The perceptions of the marriage, which is now over, are divided between the two nations with Malaysians favoring the side of the Prince and Indonesians as advocates for the young Princess. In Malaysia, she is viewed as “harlot” and in her home country of Indonesia, she is seen as a victim.

Manohara’s allegations against the Prince include rape, an attack with a razor blade, and emotional abuse. She claims that she was raped on a cruise by Prince Tengku while her mother was in an adjoining cabin, which was one of the last straws.  Like many abused women, she actually had to escape from her marriage. Unlike many abused women, her escape involved the US embassy and body guards, who did not prevent her from escaping.

According to the article, the Indonesian tabloids and media (and the Indonesian public) are still totally enthralled with the story and follow the every move of Manohara, who is currently starring on a TV series as a battered wife. The article also claims that her life-story is almost constantly shown on Indonesian television.

In addition to the element of the Princess fairy tale story ending badly, I am interested in the story because of the focus on an an abused woman in a country that is not normally known for its high treatment of women. I also think it’s interesting that she is starring in a drama about a woman that is being abused because of the parallels to her own life and because of the focus the TV show will put on women’s rights in Indonesia.

Here is a link to a television interview that Manohara gave about her situation; although I can’t understand her language, her emotions are definitely easy to pick up on. I think it would be hard for anyone not to feel for this young woman.