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Thailand’s King Strips Royal Consort Of Her Titles For ‘Disloyalty’ After Just 3 Months

The king’s former bodyguard had been the first to receive the consort's title since 1921.

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

The appointment also saw the palace take the unprecedented step of releasing pictures of her in a fighter jet, wearing a crop top and dressed in combat fatigues with him and the royal poodle. The unusually candid pictures were so popular they caused the royal website to briefly crash.

Major General Sineenatra Wongvajirabhakdi, has been stripped of her title of royal noble consort of King Maha Vajiralongkorn
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Major General Sineenatra Wongvajirabhakdi, has been stripped of her title of royal noble consort of King Maha Vajiralongkorn
The Thai king had only anointed her with the title three months ago
Reuters
The Thai king had only anointed her with the title three months ago

Sineenatra had her title of Chao Khun Phra Sineenatra Bilasakalayani withdrawn, along with other royal and military titles and decorations. She had been the first to receive the consort’s title since 1921, during an era of absolute monarchy.

In May, the king named long-time companion Suthida Vajiralongkorn Na Ayudhya his queen when they were married a few days before his formal coronation.

Both the 41-year-old Suthida and Sineenatra have served as senior officers in palace security units, with Sineenatra once holding the rank of the king’s former bodyguard.

She appeared in a series of unprecedented pictures alongside King Maha Vajiralongkorn and the royal poodle
ASSOCIATED PRESS
She appeared in a series of unprecedented pictures alongside King Maha Vajiralongkorn and the royal poodle

Suthida previously worked as a flight attendant for Thai Airways International. The two reportedly met on a flight.

Vajiralongkorn, 67, has had three previous marriages and divorced his previous wife, with whom he has a son, in 2014. He became king after the death of his father King Bhumibol Adulyadej in October 2016.

He was officially crowned in May in an elaborate centuries-old royal tradition last seen seven decades ago.

The elaborate ceremony came amid more than a decade of political strife, including a 2014 military coup and a contentious election earlier this year.

A former nurse, she was also the king's bodyguard
Reuters
A former nurse, she was also the king's bodyguard
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This article exists as part of the online archive for HuffPost India, which closed in 2020. Some features are no longer enabled. If you have questions or concerns about this article, please contact indiasupport@huffpost.com.