Thailand's playboy king has taken back his royal consort and restored all her military ranks after purging her for disloyalty last year

• King Rama X of Thailand has taken back his royal consort after disgracing her for disloyalty in October 2019.
• Sineenat Wongvajirapakdi was stripped of her military ranks and accused with trying to usurp the Queen of Thailand.
• But last week, a statement from the royal household said Wongvajirapakdi had been reinstated.
• "As Miss Sineenat Wongvajirapakdi has never been a tarnished person, His Majesty has given her the title of the royal consort, military ranks and royal decorations continuously," it said.

King Rama X, Thailand's playboy monarch, has taken back his royal consort and reinstated her military ranks after purging her for disloyalty 10 months ago.

Sineenat Wongvajirapakdi was one of 11 officials to be stripped of their titles and disgraced during a purge of the royal court in October 2019.

At the time, the Royal Gazette said Wongvajirapakdi was "lacking of gratitude or actions fit for her position" and stated that she was demoted to "reduce tension and potential trouble."

It was also insinuated that Wongvajirapakdi, a former nurse, sought to challenge Suthida Tidjai, a former flight attendant who became the king's bodyguard and then queen, for the king's affections.

"She was not satisfied with the position granted and has acted in every way to match herself with Her Majesty the Queen," the statement said. King Rama made Tidjai his fourth wife in May 2019.

But on Monday, a statement in the Royal Gazette said that Wongvajirapakdi had been wrongly demoted, and that her ranks have been reinstated, the Bangkok Post reported. The announcement was published on August 29 and dated August 28, the Post said.

"As Miss Sineenat Wongvajirapakdi has never been a tarnished person, His Majesty has given her the title of the royal consort, military ranks and royal decorations continuously," it said.

"It will be regarded that she was never stripped of the royal consort title, military ranks and royal decorations previously."

While Wongvajirapakdi appears to be back in favor, King Rama X is for the first time in decades facing a challenge to his rule.

Protests that began in July, in the name of free elections and a new constitution, have since been joined by those wanting to reform the monarchy.

The country operates strict lèse-majesté laws, which make it illegal to insult, defame, or threaten any member of the royal family. Criticizing the monarchy is punishable by up to 15 years in jail.

The government has sought to silence the demonstrations, asking Facebook to block users in Thailand from seeing posts from the one-million-member group "Royalist Marketplace," which criticized the king.

In the meantime, King Rama X has reportedly spent the coronavirus pandemic holed up in a four-star hotel in the Bavarian Alps alongside 20 female companions.

• Read more:
• Everything we know about Thailand's eccentric king, who married his bodyguard, gave his dog a 4-day funeral, and is legally immune from bad press
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