In a Facebook post, he said he was originally allocated seat number 10, reserved for former prime ministers under the ceremony’s protocol.

“But it was changed at the last minute to the back row for Orang Besar Pahang,” said the Pekan MP, adding that this would require him to be dressed in a suit for Pahang noblemen.

“The attire for Orang Besar Pahang and for the former prime minister is not same. Every position has its protocol,” he said.

“So it was too late for me to get the attire sent from Pekan.”

Najib holds the “Orang Kaya Indera Shahbandar” title, which he inherited from his late father. The title, which dates back about three centuries, was accorded to him by the Pahang palace.

Yesterday, Sultan Abdullah Sultan Ahmad Shah from Najib’s home state of Pahang was officially installed as the 16th Yang di-Pertuan Agong in an elaborate ceremony held at Istana Negara.

The Prime Minister’s Office said it had nothing to do with the change in Najib’s seating position, adding that protocol comes under palace officials.

The incident yesterday was not the first where a former prime minister was absent from a palace event.

In 2016, Dr Mahathir Mohamad, who was then leading a campaign against Najib, said an invitation to him and his wife to attend the oath-taking ceremony for the 15th Agong, Sultan Muhammad V, was cancelled.

Mahathir had then blamed Najib, although the Prime Minister’s Office denied this, saying it was a decision by the palace.