The Bugis faction, led by the underking Yamtuan Muda Raja Ja'afar, supported Abdul Rahman as successor and hastily organised a coronation ceremony before Hussein Shah could return.

Bendahara Tun Ali brought letters to Lingga, reporting Abdul Rahman's coronation during Hussein Shah's stay in Pahang.

Hussein Shah sailed from Pahang to Lingga when the monsoon winds arrived, and was received by Sultan Abdul Rahman, who offered to abdicate in his favor.

In addition, Hussein Shah also had the support of the Temenggongs and Malay nobles, which made the prospect of putting a legitimate successor in place difficult.

[20] The Dutch took the initiative of taking the royal regalia from Engku Putri Hamidah by force after hearing of rumors of Sultan Hussein requesting British aid to get hold of it.

[22] In the later part of his reign, growing British influence induced some Malay nobles, particularly Bendahara Ali, to recognize Sultan Hussein Shah.

[23] Sultan Abdul Rahman, who had devoted himself to religion, became content with his political sphere of influence in Lingga, where his family continued to maintain his household under the administrative direction of Raja Ja'afar,[24] who ruled under the auspices of the Dutch.

These were de jure possessions of Sultan Abdul Rahman and his successors, yet the 1824 treaty barred him as a Dutch vassal from exerting political authority over Johor and Pahang.

Also, largely as a result of the strong British influence in the Malay Peninsula, the continuously changing political dynamics gradually relegated these legitimacy disputes to irrelevance.