Despite the gruesome details of Daniel Sancho’s crime, in the country where the events occurred, there is more talk about the dynastic crisis of the Thai royal family and the new direction it has taken in recent days.
Maha Vajiralongkorn, known by the dynastic nickname of Rama X, is the eccentric Thai king who has made headlines in recent weeks for having the last word about what will happen to Sancho’s life if he is finally sentenced to death, as he did. by commuting Artur Segarra’s sentence to life imprisonment in 2020. But far from being aware of the Spanish actor’s son, the monarch —criticized in recent years for his long absences from the country and his extravagances— seems to be making moves on a hypothetical succession, since at 71 he has not yet named an official heir.
Princess Bajrakitiyabha, 44, the king’s only daughter by his first wife and seen by many as the suitable successor to the throne, has been in hospital since last December after suffering two strokes, and is said to have survived in a vegetative state since so.
With the tragic prognosis, the return of Vacharaesorn Vivacharawongse, the king’s second son, after almost three decades installed in the United States, has been seen as the solution to the succession problem. The video of his arrival at the Bangkok airport was posted on Facebook and went viral by triggering enthusiasm among the followers of a monarchy that has suffered unpopularity in recent years due to the excesses of Rama X, a regular in scandals.
At the moment, the palace has not made any kind of statement on the matter, but since his arrival in Thailand, Vivacharawongse, 42, has shown himself in an institutional role visiting temples and monuments and has declared to the media: “I have been away a long time, 27 years. It is a dream come true to return. When I looked out the window before landing, I was delighted.” “Although I have been abroad, I never forgot that I am Thai. I have never forgotten how important our culture is,” he added.
Vacharaesorn, who has no royal title, grew up with his three siblings abroad since the mid-1990s, after Rama X, then crown prince, announced his divorce from his second wife, Sujarinee, a former actress. who publicly accused of adultery.
Precisely another of the issues that attracts the most attention in the life of Rama X are his successive and scandalous marriages and divorces. He was also the first Thai king in decades to name a “royal consort,” meaning something equivalent to a second wife.
Just four days before his ostentatious coronation in May 2019, he contracted a surprise fourth nuptials with the flight attendant Suthida Tidjai, the current incumbent queen, known and loved in the country for her social works. But after that surprising union came another. A few months later, the king appointed his nurse Sineenat Wongvajirapak as his consort, causing a stir due to the anachronism of bigamy, a common practice in Thailand until it became a constitutional monarchy in 1932.
All in all, Rama X is the richest monarch in the world with a fortune estimated at 30,000 million euros that he inherited from his father, King Bhumibol. The previous sovereign was always revered by the majority of his subjects during the 64 years that he reigned until his death in 2016.
