King makes his mistress a 'royal consort' in front of the Queen

By Maddison Leach|

Thai King Maha Vajiralongkor has named his mistress as his 'chao khun phra' or royal noble consort in front of his wife, the Thai Queen, in a ceremony on his 67th birthday.

The King had his mistress, Sineenat Wongvajirapakdi, 34, lay at his feet during the ceremony – as is Thai royal tradition - as he poured water over her head and officially anointed her live on television.

Sineenat is the first official royal consort in decades, with the last Thai King to openly have multiple partners ruling in 1932.

At that time the nation was still ruled by an absolute monarch, making King Maha Vajiralongkor's decision to publicly recognise Sineenat all the more shocking.

Sineenat is a former army nurse and served as the King's bodyguard for a time, and was recognised for her service to the crown with four medals during the ceremony, including the 'most noble order of the crown of Thailand.'

King Maha Vajiralongkorn and Queen Suthida wave to an audience from the Grand Palace. (AP/AAP)

Shockingly the King's wife was sat right beside him as he anointed his mistress, but Queen Suthida Vajiralongkorn Na Aydhaya looked on emotionlessly as her husband publicly recognised Sineenat.

Until 2017 she too held the position of royal consort, marrying the eccentric King in a royal wedding ceremony two years ago, though she reportedly spends most of her time in Switzerland without her husband.

This is the first time in decades that the nation has had an openly polygamous leader, but that's not the King's only eccentricity.

He's already been married three times, with one of his former wives currently exiled to the US, has seven children, and is said to have an explosive temper.

He also threw a party in 2007 for his pet poodle, Fufu, who held the rank of Air Chief Marshall in the Thai armed forces.
