By Paulina Dedaj | Fox News
Thailand’s Royal Office released a rare series of photos Monday showing the king and his newly appointed mistress — and the images were so popular that the official website soon crashed.
The palace posted the candid pictures of King Maha Vajiralongkorn, 67, and his long-time girlfriend Sineenatra Wongvajirabhakdi, 34, engaging in several activities, including what appeared to be the pair taking part in military training exercises, dressed in uniforms and armed with a fluffy white poodle.
Such was the interest in the more than 60 pictures and the 46-page biography that the volume in traffic caused the website to crash.
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This undated photo posted Monday, Aug. 26, 2019, on the Thailand Royal Office website shows King Maha Vajiralongkorn, left, with Major General Sineenatra Wongvajirabhakdi, the royal noble consort. (Thailand Royal Office via AP)
Vajiralongkorn, also known as King Rama X, named Sineenatra the new Royal Noble Consort, the official title for the chief concubine, earlier this month, making her the first official mistress of the king since 1921.
Rama X married his former consort and Thai Airways flight attendant, General Suthida Vajiralongkorn back in May.
This undated photo posted Monday, Aug. 26, 2019, on the Thailand Royal Office website shows Major General Sineenatra Wongvajirabhakdi, the royal noble consort of King Maha Vajiralongkorn. (Thailand Royal Office via AP)
Suthida, alongside the king, attended the ceremony naming Sineenatra royal noble consort.
The tranche of pictures were a mix of the couple in formal regalia in the palace, as well as them being seen in more casual attire. One image shows the consort wearing a crop top while at the controls of a light aircraft, while another shows her in the cockpit of a fighter jet.
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Major General Sineenatra Wongvajirabhakdi, the royal noble consort, was bestowed the title of Chao Khun Phra Sineenatra Bilasakalayani by King Maha Vajiralongkorn during a ceremony in late July. (Thailand Royal Office via AP)
Since taking over the throne following the 70-year rule of his father, King Bhumibol Adulyadej, Rama X’s personal life has become the subject of public discussion — but often in hushed tones because speaking poorly of the royal family is a crime punishable by up to 15 years in prison.
The palace posted pictures of King Maha Vajiralongkorn, 67, and his long-time girlfriend Sineenatra Wongvajirabhakdi, 34, pictured wearing formal regalia in the palace. (Thailand Royal Office via AP)
Rama X has been married four times. He married his first cousin Princess Soamsawali Kitiyakara in 1977 and had one child. They later divorced but not before he fathered five children with Yuvadhida Polpraserth, who eventually became his second wife. They married in 1994 but divorced two years later. In 2001 Rama X married his third wife and they had one child in their 13-year marriage before divorcing in 2014.
The Associated Press contributed to this report. Paulina Dedaj is a writer/ reporter for Fox News.
