Playboy Thai king strips concubine of all titles over 'disloyalty' just three months after honoring her in grand ceremony
Thailand's King Maha Vajiralongkorn has stripped his concubine of all her titles, less than three months after he had bestowed them upon on her in a televised ceremony.
Former bodyguard Sineenat Wongvajirapakdi, 34, who was anointed as Chao Khun Phra, or 'Royal Noble Consort' during a ceremony on Vajiralongkorn's 67th birthday this past August, has been dismissed from the rank for "disloyalty to the king," according to a statement made in the Royal Gazette obtained by Bloomberg.
It said Wongvajirapakdi had tried to sabotage the appointment of Queen Suthida Tidjai, the king's fourth wife, by trying to make herself equivalent to the queen and that she tried to overstep in the affairs of the royal couple.
"Sineenat’s behavior disrespected the monarchy, caused conflict among royal household officials and created misunderstanding among the public," it said.
It's a rapid fall from grace for Wongvajirapakdi, who was given four medals, including 'most noble order of the crown of Thailand' and 'most exalted order of the white elephant, special class,' during her anointment ceremony.
She was also praised for her time as a senior officer in the king's bodyguard team, the Ratchawallop Police Retainers, and became a part of the country's history with her position as 'Royal Noble Consort' confirming that it was is the first time since 1932 that a Thai king has officially practiced polygamy.
Then, later the same month, in an uncharacteristic move, the Thai royal palace released quite a few candid photographs of Vajiralongkorn and Wongvajirapakdi in a range of different settings.
In one, she can be seen sporting combat fatigues. In others, she's flying a jet, aiming a gun at a firing range, and wearing a parachute while posing next to a military plane. A particularly interesting one shows both her and Vajiralongkorn in military fatigues and holding the king's royal poodle, who holds a rank of Air Chief Marshal.
The images played on the 34-year-old distinguished career in the military where she had undertaken courses in jungle warfare and piloting before eventually going on to serve as a part of the king's bodyguard service.