- Joined
- Apr 14, 2011
- Messages
- 17,983
- Points
- 113
Thai palace releases rare images of king's royal consort
26 Aug 2019 08:25PM
Asia
King Maha Vajiralongkorn bestowed the rank of "Chao Khun Phra" or noble consort on the 34-year-old former army nurse Sineenat Wongvajirapakdi on his 67th birthday in July. (Photos: AFP/Handout)
(Updated: 26 Aug 2019 09:24PM)
Bookmark
BANGKOK: Thailand's palace has released rare images and a biography of the king's newly anointed royal consort, including both candid and action-packed photos of her aiming a weapon on a firing range, piloting a plane, as well as preparing to parachute.
King Maha Vajiralongkorn bestowed the rank of "Chao Khun Phra" or noble consort on the 34-year-old former army nurse Sineenat Wongvajirapakdi on his 67th birthday in July.
She is the first woman to receive the noble rank in nearly a century.
Thailand's King Maha Vajiralongkorn posing with royal noble consort Sineenat Bilaskalayani, also known as Sineenat Wongvajirapakdi. (Photo: AFP/Thailand's Royal Office)
Thai royal noble consort Sineenat Bilaskalayani, also known as Sineenat Wongvajirapakdi, at a firing range. (Photo: AFP/Thailand's Royal Office)
The publication of the more than 60 photos and a 46-page biography was dated last week, but did not start circulating online until Monday (Aug 26).
"The king has ordered the creation of a royal biography for Chao Khun Phra Sineenat Bilaskalayani," a statement from the Royal Office said, using her full title.
Royal noble consort Sineenat Bilaskalayani at controls of a plane in a new picture released by Thailand's royal palace AFP/Handout
Royal noble consort Sineenat Bilaskalayani wearing a military paratrooper outfit AFP/Handout
The images and details provide an unusually intimate glimpse into the private lives of the powerful, ultra-wealthy and inscrutable monarchy, which is protected by a royal insult law that carries a maximum sentence of 15 years in prison per count.
They show Sineenat in camouflage fatigues, taking part in military drills, flying a small plane, and laughing at a table with the king, both wearing casual clothes.
Thailand's King Maha Vajiralongkorn (left) sitting with royal noble consort Sineenat Bilaskalayani, also known as Sineenat Wongvajirapakdi. (Photo: AFP/Thailand's Royal Office)
In one of the photos she is shown in traditional Thai dress standing next to Vajiralongkorn and holding his hand.
Born in the northern province of Nan, she graduated from the Royal Thai Army Nursing College, trained as a pilot in Thailand and abroad, and served in the king's royal bodyguard unit, reaching the rank of major-general in May.
A cycling and aviation enthusiast who spends much of his time abroad in Germany, Vajiralongkorn was crowned in May in an elaborate three-day ceremony that Sineenat participated in.
The ceremony took place mere days after a stunning announcement that Vajiralongkorn had married Queen Suthida Vajiralongkorn na Ayudhya, a former flight attendant and deputy commander of the monarch's security detail.
Suthida is the fourth wife of the monarch, who has a teenage son from his third marriage and six other children.
The king is not as well-known to the public as his beloved father Bhumibol Adulyadej, who died in 2016.
In the run-up to his coronation the billboards and government offices were peppered with large imposing portraits of Vajiralongkorn.
26 Aug 2019 08:25PM
Asia
King Maha Vajiralongkorn bestowed the rank of "Chao Khun Phra" or noble consort on the 34-year-old former army nurse Sineenat Wongvajirapakdi on his 67th birthday in July. (Photos: AFP/Handout)
(Updated: 26 Aug 2019 09:24PM)
Bookmark
BANGKOK: Thailand's palace has released rare images and a biography of the king's newly anointed royal consort, including both candid and action-packed photos of her aiming a weapon on a firing range, piloting a plane, as well as preparing to parachute.
King Maha Vajiralongkorn bestowed the rank of "Chao Khun Phra" or noble consort on the 34-year-old former army nurse Sineenat Wongvajirapakdi on his 67th birthday in July.
She is the first woman to receive the noble rank in nearly a century.
Thailand's King Maha Vajiralongkorn posing with royal noble consort Sineenat Bilaskalayani, also known as Sineenat Wongvajirapakdi. (Photo: AFP/Thailand's Royal Office)
Thai royal noble consort Sineenat Bilaskalayani, also known as Sineenat Wongvajirapakdi, at a firing range. (Photo: AFP/Thailand's Royal Office)
The publication of the more than 60 photos and a 46-page biography was dated last week, but did not start circulating online until Monday (Aug 26).
"The king has ordered the creation of a royal biography for Chao Khun Phra Sineenat Bilaskalayani," a statement from the Royal Office said, using her full title.
Royal noble consort Sineenat Bilaskalayani at controls of a plane in a new picture released by Thailand's royal palace AFP/Handout
Royal noble consort Sineenat Bilaskalayani wearing a military paratrooper outfit AFP/Handout
The images and details provide an unusually intimate glimpse into the private lives of the powerful, ultra-wealthy and inscrutable monarchy, which is protected by a royal insult law that carries a maximum sentence of 15 years in prison per count.
They show Sineenat in camouflage fatigues, taking part in military drills, flying a small plane, and laughing at a table with the king, both wearing casual clothes.
Thailand's King Maha Vajiralongkorn (left) sitting with royal noble consort Sineenat Bilaskalayani, also known as Sineenat Wongvajirapakdi. (Photo: AFP/Thailand's Royal Office)
In one of the photos she is shown in traditional Thai dress standing next to Vajiralongkorn and holding his hand.
Born in the northern province of Nan, she graduated from the Royal Thai Army Nursing College, trained as a pilot in Thailand and abroad, and served in the king's royal bodyguard unit, reaching the rank of major-general in May.
A cycling and aviation enthusiast who spends much of his time abroad in Germany, Vajiralongkorn was crowned in May in an elaborate three-day ceremony that Sineenat participated in.
The ceremony took place mere days after a stunning announcement that Vajiralongkorn had married Queen Suthida Vajiralongkorn na Ayudhya, a former flight attendant and deputy commander of the monarch's security detail.
Suthida is the fourth wife of the monarch, who has a teenage son from his third marriage and six other children.
The king is not as well-known to the public as his beloved father Bhumibol Adulyadej, who died in 2016.
In the run-up to his coronation the billboards and government offices were peppered with large imposing portraits of Vajiralongkorn.