The Negeri Sembilan palace has stripped former prime minister Najib Abdul Razak and his wife Rosmah Mansor of their honorific Datuk Seri titles with immediate effect.

In a statement this afternoon, the state's registrar of titles Razali Ab Malik said the palace has revoked Najib's Darjah Seri Utama Negeri Sembilan title and Rosmah's Darjah Seri Paduka Tuanku Ja'afar Yang Amat Terpuji title.

According to him, this was done to "protect the stature and dignity of Negeri Sembilan's royal institution".

Najib was conferred the title in 2005 whereas Rosmah, who was born in Negeri Sembilan, received hers in 2006.

However, the couple still has numerous Datuk Seri titles from other states.

Najib has nine from Pahang, Perak, Selangor, Malacca, Kedah, Penang, Perlis, Sabah and Sarawak.

Meanwhile, Rosmah has titles from Pahang, Selangor, Malacca, Kedah, Sabah and Sarawak, which carry the Datuk Seri honorific or its equivalent.

In early February, the Kelantan palace stripped Dr Mahathir Mohamad of his Darjah Kerabat Al-Yunusi royal award conferred in 2002.

This was just three months before Pakatan Harapan won the 14th general election and Mahathir was sworn in as prime minister before Yang di-Pertuan Agong Sultan Muhammad V, who is also the Sultan of Kelantan.

In 2014, the Selangor palace revoked the Seri Sultan Salahuddin Abdul Aziz Shah (S.S.S.A.) award conferred on Mahathir's designated successor Anwar Ibrahim, which carries the Datuk Seri title.

“The decision is based on Anwar’s repeated questioning of the integrity of the Selangor sultan and royal institution in resolving the Selangor MB crisis, as well as his questioning of issues related to Islam,” Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah's private secretary, Mohamad Munir Bani, was quoted as saying then.