Private Photos of Thai King’s Consort Leaked to Anti-Monarchy Activists
By Ryan General
December 23, 2020
Apparently out to humiliate Thai King Maha Vajiralongkorn’s official “consort,” a still unidentified party reportedly sent sexually explicit photos of her to anti-monarchy activists outside the country.
Leaked images: British journalist Andrew MacGregor Marshall and Thai academic Pavin Chachavalpongpun were among the recipients of over a thousand pictures of Sineenat Wongvajirapakdi, many of which are nudes, The Times reported.
- Marshall is a known critic of the Thai monarchy who has written scathing articles about it. Chachavalpongpun, who is currently in Japan, is facing criminal prosecution after criticizing the Thai monarchy, according to MailOnline.
- The photos, which are believed to be taken by Wongvajirapakdi herself between 2012 and 2014, were sent out back in August.
- In a lengthy Facebook post, Marshall noted that the 1,443 photographs were supposedly leaked “in an effort to sabotage her return as Vajiralongkorn’s consort,” adding that he decided not to share those images to the public and his reasons why.
- Last year, Wongvajirapakdi was stripped of all her royal and military titles and was imprisoned for allegedly trying to undermine the king’s fourth wife, Queen Suthida.
- In September, the king restored her military ranks and took her back as a royal consort.
A PR tool: Wongvajirapakdi, a former army nurse bestowed the title Royal Noble Consort in July last year, is a popular figure in Thailand and has been praised for her beauty and good manners.
- Wongvajirapakdi reportedly meets royalist supporters by herself and has contributed to giving the King a more positive image amid a growing number of protests against the monarchy.
- According to Chachavalpongpun, the consort is “being used as a PR tool to project a good image, and the image of a happy family.“
- Demonstrations seeking monarchy reforms have been going on in Thailand in the last few months.
- Weighing in on the motive behind the leak, Marshall further noted: “They show there is an ugly power struggle in the palace due to Vajiralongkorn’s chronically complicated sex life, and the royal civil war is likely to get progressively worse as Suthida and Koi (Wongvajirapakdi) compete for status and attention.”
Feature Image Screenshots via The Royal Office
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