Bangkok (AFP)
The royal palace has published many pictures of the official concubine of the King of Thailand, inducted in late July, a rare window on the Thai monarchy usually very secret.
In the sixty or so images broadcast and widely reported in the local media on Monday, the concubine Sineenat appears alongside the monarch, both in casual dress, military jacket and jeans, or in traditional dress holding the hand of the king who has donned his ceremonial clothes.
The images also show Sineenat practicing shooting, flying a plane or preparing to parachute.
Rama X awarded her the day of her 67th birthday on July 28th, the title of "Chao Khun Phra", formalizing this former nurse of 34 years as a concubine.
The last time a ruler had enthroned a concubine in Thailand was in 1921, when the country was still called the Kingdom of Siam.
Sineenat was trained as an Air Force pilot and rose through the ranks to become major general in May, according to the biography released by the palace.
She is a member of the Royal Guards Unit and attended the King's Coronation ceremonies in May, two years after the death of her father Bhumibol.
Maha Vajiralongkorn is one of the richest monarchs in the world. He spends a lot of his time in Germany, where he likes to drive his Boeing 737. Rama X cultivates the mystery, appearing only rarely in public, unlike his father.
His repeated absences do not prevent him from being very invested in the affairs of the monarchy, which he has deeply reshaped since 2016.
Divorced three times, he had created a surprise three days before his coronation, announcing his marriage with his long-time companion, Suthida, former stewardess and bodyguard of the monarch, making her the new queen of the kingdom .
The king and his family are protected by the most severe lèse-majesté law in the world, which provides for three to fifteen years in prison for anyone who defames or insults the king and his family.
© 2019 AFP