diff --git a/src/wallet/rpc/wallet.cpp b/src/wallet/rpc/wallet.cpp
index 675c4a759d0..0f1635fac90 100644
--- a/src/wallet/rpc/wallet.cpp
+++ b/src/wallet/rpc/wallet.cpp
@@ -226,6 +226,14 @@ static RPCHelpMan loadwallet()
     bilingual_str error;
     std::vector<bilingual_str> warnings;
     std::optional<bool> load_on_start = request.params[1].isNull() ? std::nullopt : std::optional<bool>(request.params[1].get_bool());
+
+    {
+        LOCK(context.wallets_mutex);
+        if (std::any_of(context.wallets.begin(), context.wallets.end(), [&name](const auto& wallet) { return wallet->GetName() == name; })) {
+            throw JSONRPCError(RPC_WALLET_ALREADY_LOADED, "Wallet \"" + name + "\" is already loaded.");
+        }
+    }
+
     std::shared_ptr<CWallet> const wallet = LoadWallet(context, name, load_on_start, options, status, error, warnings);
 
     HandleWalletError(wallet, status, error);
diff --git a/test/functional/wallet_multiwallet.py b/test/functional/wallet_multiwallet.py
index 1c890d7207b..73acf943299 100755
--- a/test/functional/wallet_multiwallet.py
+++ b/test/functional/wallet_multiwallet.py
@@ -302,12 +302,8 @@ class MultiWalletTest(BitcoinTestFramework):
         assert_raises_rpc_error(-18, "Wallet file verification failed. Failed to load database path '{}'. Path does not exist.".format(path), self.nodes[0].loadwallet, 'wallets')
 
         # Fail to load duplicate wallets
-        path = os.path.join(self.options.tmpdir, "node0", "regtest", "wallets", "w1", "wallet.dat")
-        if self.options.descriptors:
-            assert_raises_rpc_error(-4, f"Wallet file verification failed. SQLiteDatabase: Unable to obtain an exclusive lock on the database, is it being used by another instance of {self.config['environment']['PACKAGE_NAME']}?", self.nodes[0].loadwallet, wallet_names[0])
-        else:
-            assert_raises_rpc_error(-35, "Wallet file verification failed. Refusing to load database. Data file '{}' is already loaded.".format(path), self.nodes[0].loadwallet, wallet_names[0])
-
+        assert_raises_rpc_error(-35, "Wallet \"w1\" is already loaded.", self.nodes[0].loadwallet, wallet_names[0])
+        if not self.options.descriptors:
             # This tests the default wallet that BDB makes, so SQLite wallet doesn't need to test this
             # Fail to load duplicate wallets by different ways (directory and filepath)
             path = os.path.join(self.options.tmpdir, "node0", "regtest", "wallets", "wallet.dat")