Thailand’s King Maha Vajiralongkorn on Wednesday married the deputy head of his personal guard force and gave her the title Queen Suthida. The surprise announcement was carried in the Royal Gazette just days before his official coronation. Footage of wedding ceremony was later shown on the nightly Royal News segment aired on all Thai television channels.
As reported by the Hindustan Times, Vajiralongkorn, 66, also known by the title King Rama X, became constitutional monarch after the death of his revered father, King Bhumibol Adulyadej, in October 2016, after 70 years on the throne.
The official coronation is due on Saturday. Suthida Tidjai, a former flight attendant for Thai Airways was appointed as a deputy commander of Vajiralongkorn’s bodyguard unit in 2014. In December 2016, she was made a full general in the Royal Thai Army and the deputy commander of the king’s personal guard in 2017 by the king. Vajiralongkorn also made her a Thanpuying, a royal title meaning Lady. She is the fourth wife of the King who has previously been married and divorced three times and has seven children.