Thai King’s Estranged Sons Return to US After Surprise Visit

(Bloomberg) -- Two estranged sons of King Maha Vajiralongkorn flew back to the US after making their first visit in nearly three decades to Thailand, where the royal line of succession remains unclear.

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Vacharaesorn Vivacharawongse, 42, and his brother Chakriwat, 40, have lived in the US as commoners after the divorce of their parents in 1996. Their trip captivated Thailand and sent social media abuzz, particularly after the elder brother shared pictures of himself riding the iconic three-wheeled tuk-tuk and eating Pad Thai in Bangkok.

“This week flew by so fast,” Vacharaesorn told reporters at Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi Airport before their departure early Tuesday. “There are many things that we wanted to do and see in Thailand to fill our hearts, but there just wasn’t enough time.”

“Now I have to leave again, but I do hope that my brothers and my family can visit Thailand once more in the not too distant future,” the older of the two brothers said. “While we’re gone, we urge you to help preserve Thailand as a country of fairness and equality and unity.”

The brothers, who described their visits as a dream come true, didn’t appear to have an audience with their father during the trip, and neither did the royal palace formally acknowledge their presence. Vacharaesorn visited a foundation for underprivileged children and wrote a birthday message to his grandmother, Queen Sirikit, according to his Facebook posts.

The visit by the brothers came at a delicate time for the Thai royal family, after the king’s eldest daughter and potential heir to the throne collapsed at the end of last year due to a heart condition. The current state of Princess Bajrakitiyabha Narendira Debyavati, 44, has not been made known by the palace since early January.

King Vajiralongkorn, 71, hasn’t formally appointed an heir since his ascension to the throne in 2016. That has raised questions about royal succession, a sensitive topic in a nation with strict laws prohibiting insults and criticism against the king and his closest family members. The Thai constitution stipulates that the king “shall be enthroned in a position of revered worship and shall not be violated.”

“Vacharaesorn’s homecoming provides a solution to the succession gridlock,” said Pavin Chachavalpongpun, an associate professor at Kyoto University’s Center for Southeast Asian Studies. “This was apparently a stage-managed return, pre-planned with an invitation, and all greenlit. Otherwise, this much media coverage would have been impossible.”

Vacharaesorn and Chakriwat are two of the five children of King Vajiralongkorn and his second ex-wife Sujarinee Vivacharawongse, a former Thai actress. The king, then-the crown prince, stripped Sujarinee and their sons of royal ranks after their divorce. Of his children with Sujarinee, only Princess Sirivannavari Nariratana Rajakanya remains in the royal family and lives in Thailand.

Apart from Bajrakitiyabha and Sirivannavari, the king has one other royal child — the 18-year-old Prince Dipangkorn Rasmijoti. The king has no children with Queen Suthida, 45, whom he married in 2019.

Vacharaesorn and Chakriwat have been active on social media, writing messages to the Thai people and posting pictures of engagements with Thai communities overseas.

Vacharaesorn was last known to work as an attorney at a law firm in New York and has a Thai Heritage Scholarship Fund that awards grants to young Thais growing up in the US to learn about their roots. Chakriwat is a medical doctor who has made more than 100 videos on his YouTube channel focusing on medical issues and diseases.

“We’ve done nothing wrong all our lives and always heeded our father,” Chakriwat said in a Facebook post a few days before his unannounced visit, which followed his elder brother’s arrival on Aug. 6. “This time, we wanted to prostrate ourselves before His Majesty with love to show our loyalty,” he wrote. “We don’t want to meddle in the institution.”

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