King Maha Vajiralongkorn of Thailand will be crowned with his fourth wife officially named as Queen. A royal command was issued declaring General Suthida Vajiralongkorn na Ayudhya to be Queen of Thailand from 1 May 2019. King Maha Vajiralongkorn married General Suthida Vajiralongkorn “legally and in accordance with Royal tradition.”
On 4 May, a three-day ceremony will begin to crown the new King after he succeeded his father His Majesty the late King Bhumibol Adulyadej. It has been nearly 70 years since his father was crowned King of Thailand and the traditions surrounding the ceremonies date back from the 13th century.
His Majesty King Maha Vajiralongkorn is the only son and second of four children of King Bhumibol and Her Majesty Queen Sirikit. The future King was born in Bangkok on 28 July 1952, and he was proclaimed Crown Prince on 28 December 1972. On 3 January 1977, he married his first cousin Princess Soamsawali Kitiyakara. Their only child Princess Bajrakitiyabha was born in 1978. Their divorce was finalised in 1993 and in the meantime, the future King had fathered five children with Yuvadhida Polpraserth – they finally married in February 1994. However, just two years later their marriage turned soured, and they were divorced. Yuvadhida now lives in the United States with her sons. Their only daughter Sirivannavari Nariratana was named a Princess and remains in Thailand.
On 10 February 2001, he remarried to Srirasmi Suwadee, and their only child Prince Dipangkorn Rasmijoti was born in 2005. This marriage too ended in divorce in 2014, and Srirasmi Suwadee relinquished her royal titles.
It is not known when the King married Suthida Tidjai, but the statement from the palace confirms her status as Queen consort. She was present for the late King’s cremation ceremony. She currently holds the rank of general in the military, and it is believed that she is part of the King’s bodyguard unit. She previously worked for Thai Airways.
