King Vajiralongkorn of Thailand: Three Divorces, Jailed In-Laws, and Absolute Monarchical Power Over Marriage
He divorced three wives, stripped royal titles, and jailed his third wife's relatives — because he could
Key Facts
What Happened
King Maha Vajiralongkorn of Thailand, who ascended the throne in 2016 following the death of his father King Bhumibol Adulyadej, has been divorced three times — each divorce more dramatic than the last. As an absolute monarch protected by some of the world's strictest lèse-majesté laws (criticism of the monarchy carries up to 15 years in prison), his divorces operate entirely outside any legal framework that would be recognizable in a democracy.
His first wife, Soamsawali Kitiyakara, was a princess he married in 1977. They had one daughter, Princess Bajrakitiyabha. While still married to Soamsawali, Vajiralongkorn took up with Yuvadhida Polpraserth (later known as Sujarinee Vivacharawongse), a Thai actress, with whom he had five sons. He married her in 1994 but divorced her in 1996. In an extraordinary act of royal punishment, all five sons were stripped of their royal titles, and Sujarinee fled to the United Kingdom with them, where they lived in exile. She has not returned to Thailand.
His third wife, Srirasmi Suwadee, was a palace attendant he married in 2001. They had one son, Prince Dipangkorn Rasmijoti, who is currently the heir apparent. In December 2014, Vajiralongkorn divorced Srirasmi and stripped her of her royal title. Then came the most chilling aspect: her parents were arrested for lèse-majesté — the crime of insulting the monarchy — and imprisoned. Her brothers and other relatives were also arrested on corruption charges linked to their alleged misuse of their royal connection. In total, several of Srirasmi's family members were jailed, effectively punishing her entire family for the dissolution of the marriage.
In July 2019, Vajiralongkorn took a 'Royal Noble Consort' — Sineenat Wongvajirapakdi, a former army nurse — the first such appointment in nearly a century. Within three months, she too was stripped of all titles and honors for being 'disloyal and ungrateful.' Her titles were restored in August 2020 as if nothing had happened. Thailand's lèse-majesté law means that no Thai media outlet can report critically on any of these events, and Thai citizens discussing them online risk criminal prosecution. The King's marital life is, quite literally, above the law.
Legal Breakdown: Absolute Power & Divorce
Divorce Under Absolute Monarchy
Thailand is a constitutional monarchy, but the king's personal affairs are entirely beyond judicial review. There is no court that can adjudicate the king's divorce, award custody, or divide property. The king determines the terms unilaterally. This is the most extreme version of power imbalance in divorce — one party literally is the law. While this has no direct application to ordinary people's divorces, it illustrates the principle that divorce outcomes are ultimately determined by the power balance between the parties. Independent courts exist precisely to equalize this imbalance.
Punishing the Extended Family
The imprisonment of Srirasmi's family members after the divorce has no parallel in any democratic legal system. In the U.S. and most Western countries, a divorce between two people has no criminal consequences for their relatives. The concept of punishing a spouse's family for the failure of a marriage echoes historical practices that modern law explicitly rejects. It also serves as a warning mechanism — potential future spouses know that marriage to the king carries existential risk for their entire family.
Lèse-Majesté as Divorce Silencer
Thailand's lèse-majesté law (Section 112 of the Criminal Code) makes it a crime to defame, insult, or threaten the king, queen, heir, or regent, punishable by 3 to 15 years in prison. This means that no one in Thailand — not journalists, not legal experts, not the ex-wives themselves — can publicly discuss the king's divorces critically. The law effectively creates a complete information blackout around royal divorce proceedings. For comparison, in the UK, the royal family's divorces (Charles and Diana, Andrew and Fergie) were subjected to intense public scrutiny and media coverage.
What This Means for Your Divorce
- →Independent courts are the single most important protection in divorce. When one party has unchecked power over the legal system, the other party has no rights at all.
- →The stripping of royal titles from children and ex-spouses demonstrates how identity itself can be weaponized in divorce. In any divorce, protect your own identity — professional, social, financial — independently of your spouse.
- →If you are in a relationship with someone who holds extraordinary power (political, financial, social), understand that this power extends to the divorce process. Plan your exit strategy accordingly.
- →The fact that an entire family can be punished for one member's divorce is extreme, but the principle of collateral damage in divorce is universal. Parents, siblings, and children all suffer when a divorce becomes a war.
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This article is based on publicly available court records, news reports, and legal analysis. It is provided for educational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. No attorney-client relationship is created by reading this content.
Divorce laws vary by jurisdiction. Always consult a licensed attorney in your area before making legal decisions.