Thai King Maha Vajiralongkorn strips his consort of royal titles for disloyalty

Thailand’s king has stripped his royal consort of her titles and military ranks for disloyalty.

Sineenatra Wongvajirabhakdi has had her royal and military titles removed three months after they were bestowed. Picture: AFP

Thailand’s king has stripped his royal consort of her titles and military ranks for disloyalty, accusing her of seeking to undermine the position of his official wife, the country’s queen, for her own benefit.

The royal command by
67-year-old King Maha Vajiralongkorn, made public late on Monday, came just three months after he granted 34-year-old Sineenatra Wongvajirabhakdi the consort title, reviving an old palace tradition of taking a junior wife.

Sineenatra had her title of Chao Khun Phra Sineenatra Bilasakalayani withdrawn, along with other royal and military titles and decorations.

In May, the king named longtime companion Suthida Vajiralongkorn Na Ayudhya his queen when they were married a few days before his formal coronation. Vajiralongkorn assumed the throne after the 2016 death of his father, King Bhumibol Adulyadej, who reigned for 70 years.

Monday’s command condemned Sineenatra in harsh terms, concluding that her actions “are considered dishonourable, lacking gratitude, unappreciative of royal kindness, and driving a rift among the royal servants, making misunderstanding among the people, and undermining the nation and the monarchy”.

The 41-year-old Suthida and Sineenatra have served as senior officers in palace security units.

Suthida was previously a flight attendant with Thai Airways, while Sineenatra was an army nurse.

Vajiralongkorn has seven children by three previous marriages, all of which ended in divorce.

The royal command went into unusual detail in explaining why the action was taken against Sineenatra. It accused her of misbehaving by actively seeking to block Suthida’s appointment as queen in order to take the position herself and said that, when she failed to block her rival, her “ambitions and aspirations” led her to continue to seek ways to promote herself.

The statement said the king tried to alleviate the problem and take pressure off the monarchy by appointing Sineenatra his official royal consort.

“She wasn’t satisfied with the royally bestowed position and still did everything to be equal to the queen,” it said.

While he was crown prince, Vajiralongkorn’s personal life was often the subject of gossip, and he was once described by his mother as “a bit of a Don Juan”.

But public discussion of such matters is hampered by lese majeste laws, which mandate up to 15 years’ jail for insulting the royal family.

AP