King Maha Vajiralongkorn, 66, of Thailand has married his 40-year-old female bodyguard, just days before his coronation ceremony is set to occur on Saturday.
The new queen Suthida Tidjai has been King Vajiralongkorn’s deputy commander of his personal security detail for many years and before that, a flight attendant. The two have been spotted together in public for years and although their relationship had never been officially acknowledged, rumors have been circulating for a while.
King Vajiralongkorn married Tidjai this week, promoting her to the royal title of Queen Suthida and officially inducted her into the royal family.
A statement directly from the monarchy said, according to The BBC, that the king “has decided to promote General Suthida Vajiralongkorn Na Ayudhya, his royal consort, to become Queen Suthida and she will hold royal title and status as part of the royal family.”
Although King Vajiralongkorn has technically been the ruling member of the royal family since his father’s passing in 2016, his official coronation ceremony is set for Saturday, with no known reason why it has been postponed this long, the Washington Post said. (RELATED: Musk’s Makeshift Child Submarine Is On Its Way To Thailand For Rescue Mission)
The wedding ceremony was broadcasted across Thailand. The king can be seen pouring “sacred water” on the new queen’s head as she bows down to him. The two then proceeded to sign a marriage registry following the wedding.