Thailand's ousted 'royal consort' had swift rise and fall

Thailand's King Maha Vajiralongkorn and General Sineenat Wongvajirapakdi, the royal consort pose at the Grand Palace in Bangkok, Thailand, in this undated handout photo obtained by Reuters August 27, 2019. Thailand's King Maha Vajiralongkorn has stripped his newly named royal consort Sineenat of her titles and military ranks for being "disloyal" and conducting a rivalry with Queen Suthida, the palace said late on Monday. Royal Household Bureau/Handout via REUTERS

BANGKOK (Reuters) - When Thailand's newly crowned King Maha Vajiralongkorn named one of his bodyguards as Noble Royal Consort on his birthday in July, no one had held the title for nearly a century, dating back to the days of absolute monarchy.

Later, the palace released a series of photos of 34-year-old consort Sineenat Wongvajirapakdi, a former nurse, variously showing her in the cockpit of a fighter jet, wearing a crop top and dressed in combat fatigues with the king and the royal poodle.