Vajiralongkorn

Vajiralongkorn
Crown Prince of Thailand
Born	28 July 1952 Dusit Palace, Dusit, Bangkok, Thailand
Spouse	Soamsawali Kitiyakara (m. 1977; div. 1991) Yuvadhida Polpraserth (m. 1994; div. 1996) Srirasmi Suwadee (m. 2001; div. 2014)
Issue	Princess Bajrakitiyabha Prince Juthavachara Mahidol Prince Vacharaesorn Mahidol Prince Chakriwat Mahidol Prince Vatchrawee Mahidol Princess Sirivannavari Nariratana Prince Dipangkorn Rasmijoti
House	House of Mahidol Chakri Dynasty
Father	King Bhumibol Adulyadej (Rama IX)
Mother	Queen Sirikit
Religion	Buddhism
Signature

Maha Vajiralongkorn, Crown Prince of Thailand (Thai: มหาวชิราลงกรณ; rtgs: Mahawachiralongkon; Thai pronunciation: [má.hǎː wá.ʨʰí.rāː.lōŋ.kɔːn]; born 28 July 1952)^[1] is the only son of Bhumibol Adulyadej, the King of Thailand, and Queen Sirikit. He is the current Crown Prince of Thailand and heir apparent to the throne.

In 1972, at the age of 20, the king gave him the title "Somdech Phra Boromma Orasadhiraj Chao Fa Maha Vajiralongkorn Sayam Makutrajakuman" (Thai: สมเด็จพระบรมโอรสาธิราช เจ้าฟ้ามหาวชิราลงกรณ สยามมกุฎราชกุมาร; literally: "Prince Maha Vajiralongkorn, the Royal Son and Crown Prince of Siam"), making him the Crown Prince and heir apparent to the throne. He later graduated from the Royal Military College, Duntroon in Canberra, Australia. An officer in the Thai military, he trained with the Australian, British and United States armed services. He is a qualified military pilot and helicopter pilot. He took an active part in military operations against the Communist Party of Thailand during the 1970s.

Early life

Vajiralongkorn in 1952

Vajiralongkorn was born on 28 July 1952 5.45 P.M.^[2] in the Ambara Villa of the Dusit Palace in Bangkok. He has first name on the birth is "Vajiralongkorn Borommachakkrayadisonsantatiwong Thewetthamrongsuboriban Aphikhunuprakanmahittaladunladet Phumiphonnaretwarangkun Kittisirisombunsawangkhawat Borommakhattiyaratchakuman" (Thai: วชิราลงกรณ บรมจักรยาดิศรสันตติวงศ เทเวศรธำรงสุบริบาล อภิคุณูประการมหิตลาดุลเดช ภูมิพลนเรศวรางกูร กิตติสิริสมบูรณ์สวางควัฒน์ บรมขัตติยราชกุมาร). He is the only son of King Bhumibol Adulyadej and Queen Sirikit.

Education

He was educated at a primary school in Chitlada School, and then at private colleges in the United Kingdom (King's Mead School, Seaford and Millfield School, Somerset) and Australia (The King's School, Sydney).

The Prince undertook military training at the Royal Military College, Duntroon in Canberra, Australia, and also completed an arts degree at Sukhothai Thammatirat University in Bangkok. Since 1975, he has served as a career officer in the Royal Thai Army. He served as a staff officer in the Directorate of Army Intelligence, and in 1978 he became head of the King's Own Bodyguard Battalion. In that year, however, he interrupted his military career to be ordained for a season as a Buddhist monk, as is customary for all Thai Buddhist males.^[1]

Thai Royal Family
HM The King HM The Queen HRH The Crown Prince HRH Princess Bajrakitiyabha HRH Princess Sirivannavari Nariratana HRH Prince Dipangkorn Rasmijoti HRH Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn HRH Princess Chulabhorn Walailak HRH Princess Siribhachudhabhorn HRH Princess Adityadhornkitikhun Princess Ubolratana Rajakanya Khun Ploypailin Jensen Khun Sirikitiya Jensen HRH Princess Soamsawali Thanphuying Dhasanawalaya Sornsongkram

Vajiralongkorn trained for periods with the United States, British and Australian armed services, studying special forces demolition, unconventional warfare tactics and advanced navigation training. He is a qualified military pilot and a helicopter pilot. Although a military career is conventional for royal princes, Vajiralongkorn is unique among modern princes in having taken an active part in military actions inside his own country. In the 1970s he led counter-insurgency campaigns against the forces of the Communist Party of Thailand in the North and Northeast of Thailand, and also took part in operations along the border with Cambodia during the years of the Khmer Rouge regime.^[3]

Role and responsibilities

Vajiralongkorn holds the ranks of General in the Royal Thai Army, Admiral in the Royal Thai Navy and Air Chief Marshal in the Royal Thai Air Force. He has been cited as the pilot of an RTAF F-16,^[4] and two Boeing 737s, HS-HRH^[5] and HS-CMV.^[6] His military role in recent years has become increasingly ceremonial. As his father has grown older, Vajiralongkorn has taken a more prominent part in royal ceremonial and public appearances. He officially opened the 2007 Southeast Asian Games, held in Nakhon Ratchasima, Thailand. The event coincided with the 80th birthday of his father Bhumibol.

Personal life

Public image and the media

HRH Crown Prince Vajiralongkorn's portrait on Rajdamnoen Road

Due to the lèse majesté law, criticism of the King, the Queen, the Crown Prince and regents is strictly prohibited in Thailand. However, Vajiralongkorn's private life continues to be a controversial subject of discussion, although not publicly. In the edition of 10 January 2002 of the Far Eastern Economic Review (FEER), an article appeared suggesting that Vajiralongkorn had business ties with then Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra. An immediate ban was placed on distribution of the magazine, and the Thai government, citing a threat to national security, suspended the visas of the FEER's two Thailand correspondents, Shawn Crispin and Rodney Tasker.^[7]

In 2002, The Economist wrote that, "Vajiralongkorn is held in much less esteem (than the king). Bangkok gossips like to swap tales of his lurid personal life... Besides, no successor, however worthy, can hope to equal the stature King Bhumibol has attained after 64 years on the throne." This issue of The Economist was banned in Thailand. In 2010, another issue of The Economist (which was not distributed in Thailand) asserted that Vajiralongkorn is "widely loathed and feared" and "unpredictable to the point of eccentricity",^[8] while the online journal Asia Sentinel alleged that he is "regarded as erratic and virtually incapable of ruling"^[9] and was blocked shortly thereafter.^[10] In a diplomatic cable leaked by WikiLeaks, senior Singaporean foreign ministry official Bilahari Kausikan asserted that Vajiralongkorn has a gambling habit which was partly funded by now self-exiled former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra.^[11]

On 12 November 2009, a home video was released to Wikileaks showing Vajiralongkorn and a topless Princess Srirasmi celebrating the birthday of the Prince's poodle dog, Air Chief Marshal Fufu.^[12][13][14] Part of this video was broadcast on the 'Foreign Correspondent' programme on the Australian government's ABC TV channel on 13 April 2010, as part of a half-hour documentary critical of the Royal family of Thailand.^[15][16] The video is not available on ABC's archive.

On 19 January 2009, Harry Nicolaides, an Australian national, was sentenced to three years in prison for self-publishing a fictional book deemed to have committed lèse majesté. The offending passage alluded to rumours that "if the prince fell in love with one of his minor wives and she betrayed him, she and her family would disappear with their name, familial lineage and all vestiges of their existence expunged forever."^[17][18] The global news network CNN refused to air the passage.^[19] Nicolaides was later pardoned by the king.

In August 2011, the German judicial authorities in Munich impounded an aircraft, a Boeing 737, one of two belonging to Crown Prince Vajiralongkorn.^[20] Administrators seized the aircraft subject to a 20-year-old debt from the Thai government to a now-defunct German construction corporation for the Don Mueang Tollway, that has risen to some 30 million euros. The German authorities, who currently administer the corporation's interests in bankruptcy, have stated the measure was a "last resort" in accounting for the debt. The Thai government, which had theretofore not responded to German demands, called the move "highly inappropriate."^[21][22] On 1 August, Vajiralongkorn's office announced he would pay the deposit amounting to 20 million euros himself.^[23] One day later the Thai foreign minister Kasit Piromya confirmed that the Thai government would pay the deposit.^[24]

Marriage and family

Family

On 3 January 1977 Vajiralongkorn married Princess Soamsawali Kitiyakara (born 1957), a first cousin on his mother's side. They had one daughter, Princess Bajrakitiyabha (born 1978). Crown Prince Vajiralongkorn started living with actress Yuvadhida Polpraserth in the late 1970s and had five children with her. Although Princess Soamsawali had refused divorce for many years, Vajiralongkorn was finally able to sue for divorce in the Family Court in January 1993. In the court proceedings, Vajiralongkorn accused Princess Soamsawali of being completely at fault for the failed relationship. She was not able to refute the charges due to the prohibition against lèse majesté. The divorce was finalized in July 1993.^[25] Princess Soamsawali and her daughter continue to play a significant role in royal ceremonies.

When Vajiralongkorn was introduced to Yuvadhida Polpraserth, she was an aspiring actress. She became his steady companion and gave birth to his first son, Prince Juthavachara Mahidol, on 29 August 1979. He later had three more sons and a daughter by her. They were married at a palace ceremony in February 1994, where they were blessed by the King and the Princess Mother, but not by the Queen. After the marriage, she was allowed to change her name to Mom Sujarinee Mahidol na Ayudhaya, signifying she was a commoner married to a royal. She was also commissioned as a major in the Royal Thai Army and took part in royal ceremonies with Vajiralongkorn. When she fled to Britain in 1996 with their children, Vajiralongkorn had posters placed around his palace accusing her of committing adultery with Anand Rotsamkhan, a 60-year-old air marshal.^[26] The prince abducted their daughter and brought her back to Thailand to live with him. She was later elevated to the rank of princess, whilst Sujarinee and her sons were stripped of their diplomatic passports and titles. She and her sons later moved to the United States. As of 2007, Sujarinee was known as Sujarinee Vivacharawongse.

Vajiralongkorn married again, on 10 February 2001, to Srirasmi Suwadee (royal name Akharaphongpreecha), a commoner from an otherwise modest background who had been in his service since 1992. The marriage was not disclosed to the public until early 2005. She gave birth to a son, Prince Dipangkorn Rasmijoti, on 29 April 2005 and was elevated to become Princess. The son was immediately elevated to the rank of Prince. In a magazine interview, Vajiralongkorn stated his intention to settle down.^[27]

In November 2014, Vajiralongkorn sent a letter to the interior ministry asking for Princess Srirasm's family to be stripped of the royal name Akharaphongpreecha awarded to her, following allegations of corruption against seven of her relatives.^[28]

In December 2014, Srirasmi relinquished all her royal titles and the royal name, to which she received 200 million baht and was officially divorced from Vajiralongkorn, and was exiled to return to an undisclosed residence. They were married for 13 years, but had been separated for several years.

Styles of Crown Prince Maha Vajiralongkorn of Thailand
Reference style	His Royal Highness
Spoken style	Your Royal Highness
Alternative style	Sir

Succession

As things stand as of early 2016, there is nothing uncertain about the next succession. The cabinet will inform the president of the National Assembly, who will invite Crown Prince Vajiralongkorn to become king.^[29]

Issue

Royal cypher of Crown Prince Maha Vajiralongkorn

Children of Crown Prince Vajiralongkorn

Name	Birth	Notes
By Soamsawali Kitiyakara (married 1977, divorced 1991)
Bajrakitiyabha	7 December 1978
By Yuvadhida Polpraserth (married 1994, divorced 1996)
Juthavachara Vivacharawongse	29 August 1979	abandoned, born as Juthavachara Mahidol
Vacharaesorn Vivacharawongse	27 May 1981	abandoned, born as Vacharaesorn Mahidol
Chakriwat Vivacharawongse	6 February 1983	abandoned, born as Chakriwat Mahidol
Vatchrawee Vivacharawongse	14 June 1985	abandoned, born as Vatchrawee Mahidol
Sirivannavari Nariratana	8 January 1987	born as Busyanambejra Mahidol
By Srirasmi Suwadee (married 2001, divorced 2014)
Dipangkorn Rasmijoti	29 April 2005

Titles and styles

• 28 July 1952 – 28 December 1972: His Royal Highness Prince Vajiralongkorn of Thailand
• 28 December 1972 – present: His Royal Highness Prince Maha Vajiralongkorn, The Crown Prince of Thailand

Honours

See also List of honours of the Thai Royal Family by country

Thai royal decorations

• Knight of the Most Illustrious Order of the Royal House of Chakri
• Knight of the Ancient and Auspicious Order of the Nine Gems
• Knight Grand Cordon (Special Class) of the Most Illustrious Order of Chula Chom Klao
• Knight Grand Cordon (Special Class) of the Most Exalted Order of the White Elephant
• Knight Grand Cordon (Special Class) of the Most Noble Order of the Crown of Thailand
• Knight Grand Cross (First Class) of the Most Admirable Order of the Direkgunabhorn
• Member (Special Class) of the Order of Symbolic Propitiousness Ramkeerati – Boy Scout Citation Medal
• Freeman Safeguarding Medal (First Class)
• Border Service Medal
• Chakra Mala Medal
• King Rama IX Royal Cypher Medal (First Class)
• King Rama IX Rajaruchi Medal (Gold Class)
• Red Cross Medal of Appreciation (First Class)

Foreign decorations

•    Denmark  : Knight of the Order of the Elephant
•    Germany  : Knight Grand Cross (Special Class) of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany
•    Japan  : Grand Cordon of the Supreme Order of the Chrysanthemum
•    Portugal  : Knight Grand Cross of the Military Order of Aviz (GCA, 31 December 1981)
•    Spain  : Knight Grand Cross of the Royal and Distinguished Spanish Order of Charles III (13 November 1987)^[30]
•    Sultanate of Terengganu (Malaysia) : Second Class of the Most Distinguished Family Order of Terengganu (DK II)
•     United Kingdom : Honorary Knight Grand Cross of the Royal Victorian Order (GCVO)
•     Malaysia : Grand Commander of the Order of the Defender of the Realm (2 September 2013)^[31]

Ancestry

Ancestors of Vajiralongkorn

16. (=18.) Mongkut               8. (=24.) Chulalongkorn                       17. Debsirindra               4. Mahidol Adulyadej, Prince of Songkla                             18. (=16.) Mongkut               9. Savang Vadhana                       19. Piam Sucharitakul               2. Bhumibol Adulyadej                                   20. Chum Chukramol               10. Chu Chukramol                       5. Sangwan Talapat                             11. Kham Chukramol                       23. Pha               1. Vajiralongkorn, Crown Prince of Thailand                                         24. (= 8.) Chulalongkorn               12. Kitiyakara Voralaksana, Prince of Chanthaburi                       25. Uam Bisalayaputra               6. Nakkhatra Mangala, Prince of Chanthaburi II                             26. Devan Uthayavongse, Prince Devavongse Varopakarn               13. Princess Apsarasaman Devakula                       27. Yai Sucharitakul               3. Sirikit Kitiyakara                                   28. Prince Sai Snidvongs               14. Sadan Snidvongs                       29. Khian Sasisamit               7. Bua Snidvongs                             30. Ruai Bunyathon               15. Bang Bunyathon                       31. Wae Na Bangxang

See also

• King Bhumibol Adulyadej

References

1. "Crown Prince Maha Vajiralongkorn". globalsecurity.org.
2. ราชกิจจานุเบกษา, ประกาศสำนักนายกรัฐมนตรี เรื่อง ให้หยุดราชการและชักธงชาติเนื่องในการที่พระราชกุมารประสูติ, เล่ม 69, ตอนที่ 49, 12 สิงหาคม พ.ศ. 2495, หน้า 2434
3. "Happy Royal Birthday HRH Crown Prince Maha Vajiralongkorn". Pattaya Mail.
4. "Royal Thai Air Force F-16 Special Color Schemes". F-16 Aircraft Database. Retrieved 22 January 2010. Local S/N:10318 ; AF/Unit:RTAF; Aircraft:91-0067; Details: Wore a special camouflage scheme only worn by RTAF F-5s in the agressor role. Instead of the regular USAF FY/N on the tail, there is no. 904.91. The markings below the cockpit indicate that this is the personal aircraft of His Royal Highness Crown Prince Maha Vajiralongkorn of Thailand.
5. "Thailand – Air Force Boeing 737-400 HS-HRH – Kuala Lumpur – Int (Sepang) Photo". 6 December 2007. Retrieved 22 January 2010. Thai prince special ride departing after attending Malaysia's 50th independence day [31 Aug 2007],
6. Danijel Jovanovic. "Picture of the Boeing 737-4Z6 aircraft". airliners.net. Retrieved 22 January 2010. HS-CMV / 11–111 (cn 27906/2698) Probably one of the specials of the whole year! The Thai prince flying out the Inn valley in front of the mountains. What a beautiful sight!
7. Duncan. McCargo, Media and Politics in Pacific Asia, page 146
8. "As father fades, his children fight". The Economist. 18 March 2010.
9. More Lèse majesté Charges in Thailand Asia Sentinel, 1 April 2010
10. Thailand – Grenade attacks and online censorship amid mounting political tension FromTheOld, 30 March 2010
11. Dorling, Philip; McKenzie, Nick (12 December 2010). "Top Singapore officials trash the neighbours". The Sydney Morning Herald.
12. https://wikileaks.org/wiki/Suppressed_video_of_Thai_Crown_Prince_and_Princess_at_decadent_dog_party
13. Gordon Rayner (4 February 2011). "WikiLeaks cables: Thailand's royal pet". The Daily Telegraph. Archived from the original on 7 January 2014. Retrieved 7 January 2014. An experienced diplomat should be able to greet anyone from a king to a despot, but nothing could prepare one US ambassador for the experience of meeting a military officer that happened to be a poodle.
14. "WikiLeaks cables reveal scandal and disease in Thai royal family", The Australian, 24 June 2011, retrieved 18 February 2012
15. Foreign Correspondent
16. http://www.frequency.com/video/abc-foreign-correspondent-on-thai/124233371/-/5-281801
17. Thais detain Aussie writer, The Australian, 5 September 2008
18. Thai court jails Australian novelist for three years over royal 'insult', The Scotsman, 19 January 2009
19. Author jailed for insulting Thai king, CNN.com, 19 January 2009
20. "Thai Aircraft List29022555.xls". Department of Civil Aviation. Retrieved 24 January 2015.
21. "Germany Impounds Thai Prince Vajiralongkorn's Jet". BBC online. 13 July 2011. Retrieved 14 July 2011.
22. "Plane stupid: the damage is done". The Nation. 19 July 2011. Retrieved 20 July 2011. The Royal Thai Air Force (RTAF) confirmed the Thai government's contention that the RTAF in 2007 presented the Boeing 737 jet to the Prince for his personal use.
23. "Is the dispute with Walter Bau coming to an end?". Bangkok Pundit. 2 August 2011. Retrieved 2 August 2011.
24. "Government pays for Crown Prince's Boeing". Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung. 2 August 2011. Retrieved 2 August 2011.
25. Nonthaburi Family Court, Documents of Case #79/2536, 14 January 2007
26. Christy Campbell (20 October 1996). "Adultery princess casts shadow on untouchables". Web archive. The Telegraph. Archived from the original on 24 October 1996. Retrieved 20 July 2011. When the Queen and Prince Philip arrive in Bangkok next week to begin their state visit to Thailand they will find sanctuary from media salaciousness.
27. "Simplicity, warmth win hearts," The Nation
28. "Thailand crown prince strips wife's family of royal name". BBC News. 29 November 2014. Retrieved 2 December 2014. It comes after seven of her close relatives were arrested in a purge of officials allegedly involved in corruption.
29. This is very carefully described in Roger Kershaw, Monarchy in South-East Asia: The faces of tradition in transition (London and New York: Routledge, 2001), pp. 152–3.
30. Boletín Oficial del Estado
31. State Banquet for the Malaysian King in Bangkok

Further reading

• Paul M. Handley, The King Never Smiles, Yale University Press, 2006