Thailand’s palace website crashed on this week after it released unprecedented pictures of the king’s consort in a fighter jet, wearing a crop top.
The unusually candid pictures of King Maha Vajiralongkorn’s consort, 34-year-old Major-General Sineenat Wongvajirapakdi, were released along with her official biography.
The images prompted us to dig and find out a little bit more about this very capable and powerful woman and here are the results:
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King Maha Vajiralongkorn bestowed the 34-year-old Sineenat Wongvajirapakdi with the rank of “Chao Khun Phra”, or noble consort, on his 67th birthday in July 2019.
It was the first such appointment in almost a century, long before the end of absolute monarchy in 1932.
She trained as a pilot in Thailand and abroad, and served in the king’s royal bodyguard unit. She was given the rank of major-general in May 2019.
Before taking up her consort duties, General Sineenat graduated from the Army Nursing College in 2008.
The position of noble consort, which typically refers to a companion of the monarch, is separate from that of a queen.
The king is married Suthida Tidjai, 41, and made her queen just days before his coronation in May. Suthida was a former flight attendant and deputy commander of the monarch’s security detail. She is the fourth wife of the monarch.
The palace released more than 60 photos of General Sineenat, accompanied by a biography that ran to more than 40 pages. She has completed courses on jungle warfare and night parachuting, according to the biography.
General Sineenat was born in the northern province of Nan, a charming town in northern Thailand located in a province with the same name that is known for its numerous national parks.
Both Queen Suthida and General Sineenat participated in the King’s coronation ceremonies in May. The coronation was a gilded US$30 million affair in which the king received a 16-pound Great Crown of Victory.
Her images and biography on the Thai Royal website provide an unusually intimate glimpse into the private lives of the powerful, ultra-wealthy monarchy.
It isn’t 100 per cent clear what caused the palace website, to stop working but they are likely due to General Sineenat’s photos.
Error messages occur when an internet service provider suspends a site, and could mean that it has been overloaded by traffic or that an order has gone out to take it down.
This is the first time that a Thai king has openly had more than one partner since the end of the absolute monarchy.
The last four Thai kings were all monogamous aside from King Rama VIII who never married.