It is not clear who released the video into the public domain.

The statement from the royal household noted that on the day the video was leaked, the king and queen were receiving a group of politicians as part of their official duties.

Engagements such as this demonstrate that the “difficult circumstances” captured in the video have been replaced by “reconciliation” and “reflection”, the statement added.

Regarded as the “lion of the nation”, the Zulu king is the custodian of age-old traditions that place marriage and polygamy at the heart of royal success.

His role within South Africa may only be ceremonial, but he remains hugely influential, with a yearly government-funded budget of several million dollars.

The video has caused a sharp divide on social media – some have accused the king of displaying abusive and undignified behaviour, while others criticised the queen for airing private matters in public.

South African journalist Asanda Magaqa said that while she would never encourage anyone to film private moments, “watching that video, I understand why she felt compelled to record it”.

“No woman deserves to live like that,” she wrote on social media platform X.

The footage also showed the king saying he became a monarch through witchcraft. King Misuzulu’s coronation came after a year-long family feud, with some royals arguing that he was not the rightful heir and that his father’s will had been forged.

Zulu society is deeply patriarchal, with women often expected to comply with traditional gender norms.

South Africa has one of the highest rates of violence against women in the world.

Last year, South Africa classified gender-based violence (GBV) as a “national disaster”.

The king’s marriage to Queen Myeni was delayed for months last year as he dealt with a scandal involving his first wife, Queen Ntokozo kaMayisela.

Queen kaMayisela went to court in a bid to halt the wedding, arguing that her husband would be committing the offence of “bigamy” without first “converting” his civil marriage to her into a traditional Zulu marriage.

But the judge threw out her case, saying Queen kaMayisela had a “turnaround” in attitude as she had already agreed that her husband could take other wives.

Additional reporting by Khanyisile Ngcobo in Johannesburg