Thai king, 67, strips concubine, 34, of all royal titles for ‘misbehaviour’ weeks after kneeling at his feet in ceremony
THAILAND’S King Maha Vajiralongkorn has stripped his royal consort of her titles and military ranks for being “disloyal”, the palace said today. The announcement came just months after Sineenat Wongvajirapakdi, 34, was made a royal noble consort by the king in July, the first such appointment in almost a century. Sineenat had breached a code […]
THAILAND’S King Maha Vajiralongkorn has stripped his royal consort of her titles and military ranks for being “disloyal”, the palace said today.
The announcement came just months after Sineenat Wongvajirapakdi, 34, was made a royal noble consort by the king in July, the first such appointment in almost a century.
Sineenat had breached a code of conduct for courtiers and was “disloyal to the king”, a two-page palace statement said.
Her appointment as consort followed the king’s marriage to the deputy head of his personal bodyguard, Suthida Tidjai, 41.
He named her his queen, just days before his coronation in May, with the title of Queen Suthida Vajiralongkorn na Ayudhaya.
The statement also described Sineenat as “ungrateful”.
“Royal Noble Consort Sineenat is ungrateful and behaves in ways unbecoming of her title.
“She is also not content with the title bestowed upon her, doing everything to rise to the level of the queen,” the statement said.
“She lacks the understanding of the good traditions of the royal court. She displays disobedience against the king and the queen.”
In the August ceremony was less than three months after he made another royal consort his wife – Suthida Vajiralongkorn na Ayudhya, who had been a Thai Airways flight attendant.
He poured ceremonial water over Ms Sineenat’s head to officially anoint her a concubine during a televised service.
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During the service she lay on the floor to remain lower than the King’s feet, in accordance Thai royal tradition.
Born in the northern province of Nan on January 26, 1985, Sineenat, graduated from the Royal Thai Army Nursing College at the age of 23.
The move marked the first time a Thai king publicly had more than one partner since an absolute monarch ruled the country in 1932.
