The King of Thailand, Maha X, and his official concubine, Sineenat.

-

Handout / Thailand's Royal Office / AFP

The King of Thailand has reinstated his ex-concubine, stripped of all his titles in 2019. Sineenat Wongvajirapakdi, known by the nickname “Koi”, obtained the title of “royal consort” on July 28, for the king's 67th birthday .

It was the first time in almost a century that a Thai monarch had taken on a concubine.

But in October, the powerful and wealthy King Rama X stripped the 34-year-old former royal bodyguard of all his titles because of his "disloyalty" and his "ambition" to take the place of the queen. .

Sineenat had not been seen in public since.

The monarchy and the government strongly criticized

But the king did an about-face on August 29, the website of the

Royal Gazette

, the palace's official organ

, revealed on Wednesday

.

Koi is "totally whitewashed," the statement said, confirming that the young woman is resuming her title of "Chao Khun Phra", royal consort.

“It will be as if she had never been deprived of her military ranks or her royal decorations.

"

Thailand's king has reinstated his royal consort, with the royal gazette announcing she had "never been a tarnished person".

https://t.co/2XXsT0gaMU pic.twitter.com/iZVvR8RWAr

- SCMP News (@SCMPNews) September 2, 2020

In August 2019, in a rare glimpse into Rama X's private life, the palace released photos of Koi in combat fatigues, using weapons, parachuting, or holding the monarch's hand.

The young woman graduated from the Royal Military Nursing University at 23, served in the king's bodyguard unit and obtained the rank of major general.

Former army nurse Sineenat Wongvajirapakdi was dismissed from the rank of "Chao Khun Phra" for "disloyalty to the king," the Royal Gazette said, as well as "acting against the appointment of the Queen (Suthida) ... for her own ambitions . "

@AFP https://t.co/Dem1shxRBK

- Joe Freeman (@ joefree215) October 21, 2019

Its rehabilitation comes as the Thai people demand a reform of the country's monarchy, with almost daily rallies since mid-July.

The demonstrators demand in particular the repeal of the law of lèse-majesté which punishes any criticism of the monarchy with a sentence of up to 15 years in prison.

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