There’s a new twist in the search for a successor to the Thai throne.
Vacharaesorn Vivacharawongse, King Rama X’s third child and second son, may not be eligible to be King of Thailand.
According to reporter and Thai royal insider Andrew MacGregor Marshall, Vacharaesorn, 42, has a wife and child in the United States, which disqualifies him for the Thai throne.
The Palace Law of Succession governs who can ascend the Thai throne. Due to recent amendments, the King of Thailand can appoint any of his children to be the heir to the throne. A person is disqualified from the line of succession if they marry a foreigner, as Vacharaesorn has done.
It’s important to note that Vacharaesorn is not currently in the line of succession but was thought to be re-entering the royal fold.
Vacharaesorn is the King’s second son by his second wife, Sujarinee Vivacharawongse. He and his three brothers were exiled to the United States in 1996 after their parents divorced and lost their royal status. Only their sister, Princess Sirivannavari, remained in the royal fold. She was taken from her mother and brought back to Thailand on orders of the now King, where she grew up with many royal privileges alongside her older half-sister and younger half-brother.
Back in August, the King of Thailand’s exiled son returned to his birth country after 27 years. Vacharaesorn Vivacharawongse was seen undertaking what could be construed as royal engagements since his arrival in Bangkok.
King Vajiralongkorn’s son was seen wearing special pins to honour his father at each of the engagements, and the media was there to photograph each event.
It had been suggested that one of the King’s banished sons could be brought back to Thailand after the hospitalisation of Princess Bajrakitiyabha in December 2022. The Princess had long been considered the unspoken heir to the throne and had been prepared for the royal since childhood. However, the 44-year-old collapsed from a heart condition while training her dogs. She has been hospitalised in a coma on life support ever since with little hope for recovery.
The King’s youngest child, Prince Dipangkorn Rasmijoti, 18, has been raised primarily in Germany with a reported developmental disorder that could hinder his ability to take the throne.
