The first wife of South Africa's Zulu king, Misuzulu Kazwelithini, has failed in her legal bid to stop his plans for a third wife.
Queen Ntokozo Kamaysela has gone to court ahead of the wedding expected later this week.
But despite the ruling, it is not clear whether the wedding will go ahead as planned.
On Saturday, South African media reported a message said to be from the king stating that the ceremony had been canceled “for reasons beyond the control of the Royal House.”
Polygamy is recognized in South Africa, but only if it is registered as a common-law marriage.
This latest row comes amid a series of scandals that have hit King Misuzulu Since coming to power just over two years ago.
The Zulu King has no formal political power, and the king's role within broader South African society is largely ceremonial, but he still wields significant influence with an annual government-funded budget of several million dollars.
Before ascending to the throne, the king married Maysela in 2021 in a civil marriage.
In her legal argument, which was heard by the Supreme Court on Monday, the Queen, through her lawyer, said that the King could not marry anyone else because their marriage was still valid.
Under South African law, a civil marriage must either be dissolved or converted into a traditional union before a man can take more wives.
In rejecting the application to halt the king's marriage to Nomzamo Myeni, Justice Bongani Mngadi said that since the queen had already agreed to the idea that her husband could marry other women, she could not prevent the ceremony from taking place.
Last year, according to what was said in court on Monday, the royal couple agreed to convert their civil marriage to a traditional one. But since then, the king has filed for divorce, saying their relationship has collapsed.
Despite the aforementioned letter, as well as the king's lawyer saying in court that the wedding would not take place, contradictory statements also appeared.
The bride said she knew nothing about the letter and as far as she understood, her wedding would go ahead as initially planned, South African news website TimesLIVE reported.
According to another news site, IOL, which spoke to the couple, the king insisted that he loved Mynene and would “marry her by force.”
Since his coronation in October 2022, there has been controversy over some of the decisions made by King Misuzulu.
In December, he illegally suspended the board of directors of the Ingonyama Trust, which owns and controls vast tracts of communal land in KwaZulu-Natal, which is supposed to be for the benefit and well-being of communities under the king's leadership in the region.
King Misuzulu is the sole trustee and chairman of the fund but has no powers to appoint or dismiss board members.
He also recently fired two of his close aides, including his traditional prime minister, in quick succession – moves that raised eyebrows among royal watchers.
Misuzulu's position as king has also been questioned by some, and a legal case is currently underway challenging the state's recognition of him as king.
He ascended to the throne sooner than expected after his father, King Goodwill Zwetheni, died during the Covid pandemic in March 2021 due to diabetes-related complications.
Zwelithini was the longest-reigning monarch of the Zulu nation, serving on the throne for nearly 50 years.
