How Thailand's new queen met her husband while she was an air stewardess and he was a pilot before he made her a 'general' (unlike his poodle FuFu who he made Air Chief Marshal)
- Maha Vajiralongkorn married consort Suthida Tidjai ahead of his coronation
- Suthida was born in 1978 and worked as a stewardess for Thai Airways, where she is thought to have met Vajiralongkorn as he sometimes flew for the airline
- Having won favour she was moved to his protection unit, given rank of general
- She was once seen alongside the prince in Germany while he wore a crop top
Thailand's King Maha Vajiralongkorn married consort Suthida Tidjai this week and named her Queen ahead of his coronation, a move which shocked Thais who had been told nothing about her by the country's heavily-censored media until now.
The accolade marks a stratospheric rise for a woman who started her working life as an air stewardess before catching the future king's eye while he worked as a pilot.
She was then promoted to 'bodyguard' in his personal protection unit and given the title of General in the army, putting her on par with his beloved pet poodle FuFu, who holds the rank of Air Chief Marshal in the air force.
The wedding, in which Suthida was made to lie on the floor at the King's feet, makes her Vajiralongkorn's fourth wife after he divorced Srirasmi Suwadee - a former waitress - in 2014.
Thailand's King Maha Vajiralongkorn married his long-time consort Suthida Tidjai in a ceremony on Wednesday, ahead of his coronation which is due to start this weekend (pictured, the pair paid homage at a statue of former King Rama V in Bangkok as husband and wife today)
The marriage marks a stratospheric rise for Suditha, who studied communications at a private university in Bangkok before becoming a stewardess
King Maha Vajiralongkorn and Queen Suthida pay homage to the Equestrian Statue of King Chulalongkorn in Bangkok
The pair met while Suthida was an air stewardess aboard Thai Airways, where then-Prince Vajiralongkorn served as a pilot (pictured, exact date unknown)
Suthida has seldom been pictured with the royal, though the pair were photographed near Munich in 2016 where Vajiralongkorn wore a tight crop top
Little is known about Suthida's life as a private citizen, other than that she was born in 1978 and attended Assumption University, a private $41,000-a-year Catholic college in Thailand's capital Bangkok.
She earned a degree in communication arts in 2000 before going to work as a stewardess for the country's national carrier Thai Airways shortly after.
It is thought she met Prince Vajiralongkorn while working for the airline, because he is a licenced pilot who sometimes flew the carrier's Boeing and Airbus jets.
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Vajiralongkorn is known to have handpicked several of the stewardesses to be his mistresses despite still being married to Suwadee, with whom he has a son named Adityadornkitigun.
Suthida is thought to have occupied his affections and become his 'main mistress', spending a large amount of time with him at his private residence in Bavaria while Suwadee and her son lived back in Bangkok.
Suthida entered the Thai military in 2010 with the rank of Second Lieutenant and was promoted to First Lieutenant just six months later.
In 2012 she received her first official recognition for services to Prince Vajiralongkorn when she was awarded the Order of the White Elephant for her 'honesty, loyalty and responsibility ... dedication and sacrifice.'
At the time of the award, she was credited as being a Lieutenant Colonel.
The Prince is believed to have kept Suthida as his favoured mistress at his private residence in Germany, where he spends most of his time
Suthida married Vajiralongkorn on Wednesday when she was forced to lie on the floor along with royal aides as part of tradition
Suthida entered the military in 2010 and was quickly promoted through the ranks before being reassigned to Vajiralongkorn's personal guard and promoted to general after his father's death
She appeared alongside the new King at a cremation ceremony for his father, King Bhumibol Adulyadej, in Bangkok in 2016 (pictured)
She has rarely been photographed with Vajiralongkorn and the Thai press - which is heavily censored by the monarchy - had not acknowledged any kind of relationship between the pair until their wedding.
However, one extraordinary image emerged in 2016 which appeared to show Vajiralongkorn boarding a plane in Germany alongside Suthida.
She was dressed in high heels, tight trousers, a skimpy top and was clutching a large bag in one hand and FuFu in the other.
Meanwhile the future King wore a pair of low-slung jeans, sandals and a tiny white crop top that revealed his back and arms were covered in tattoos.
Around the same time she was named in foreign media reports as the Prince's 'consort', though Thai authorities refused to confirm this.
Following the death of King Bhumibol Adulyadej in October 2016, Vajiralongkorn named Suthida Commander of the Special Operations Unit of the King's Guard in December that year.
The promotion also saw her elevated to the rank of General, after just six years in the armed forces.
Vajiralongkorn's first wife - Princess Soamsawali (right) - was the only other royal he ever married, being his first cousin on his mother's side
He married second wife, actress Yuvadhida Polpraserth (left) in 1994 and the pair had five children, though only one is now recognised by the royal family
His third wife, a former waitress, was Srirasmi Suwadee with whom he had one child. The pair divorced in 2014
The following June she was appointed acting commander of Royal Thai Aide-de-Camp Department and in October she was named a Dame Grand Cross (First Class) of The Most Illustrious Order of Chula Chom Klao.
The same month, she appeared in uniform alongside Vajiralongkorn during a military parade in Bangkok for the cremation of King Bhumibol.
Also among the crowd was another of Vajiralongkorn's suspected mistresses, Sineenat Wongvajirapakdi, who was once spotted alongside the king - again wearing a crop top - in Munich in 2016.
Then, on May 1 this year, King Vajiralongkorn suddenly announced that the pair had married, and she was named Queen Suthida Vajiralongkorn na Ayudhya.
Photos showed Suthida laying on the floor as she was given a gift by the king during the marriage ceremony.
She 'legally married' the King in accordance with royal traditions, an announcement in the Royal Gazette said.
A statement from the royal family explained that the King had decided to promote General Suthida, his royal consort, to become Queen Suthida.
Vajiralongkorn, who has been married three times, has spent much of his time in Germany.
Harsh lese-majeste laws have shielded public scrutiny of his colourful private life, and all media in Thailand must self-censor.
This weekend's coronation will be the first since Vajiralongkorn's late father's nearly 70 years ago.
It was not immediately clear what role Queen Suthida will play in the ceremony.
Queen Suthida, as she is now known, will accompany her new husband throughout his coronation this weekend, though it is not known exactly what role she will play
Royal tradition dictates that the King, as a living deity, must be physically higher than his courtiers during royal ceremonies, meaning they are forced to crawl
King Maha Vajiralongkorn and his consort, General Suthida Vajiralongkorn, attend their wedding ceremony in Bangkok
A father-of-seven, he has three failed marriages, a love of fast jets and a reputation for having an explosive temper.
During an attempted coup in Thailand in 2014, a film was published online of his third wife dressed in nothing but a black G-string while she sang happy birthday to the royal couple's beloved pet poodle, Fufu.
In 2009, former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra spoke of his doubts about the then-Prince's suitability for the role of king.
In 2007, footage published online showed the king throwing a party for his pet poodle - who held the rank of Air Chief Marshal - at the Royal Palace in Bangkok.
Princess Srirasmi, who sang happy birthday to the dog topless, also got on her knees and ate from a dog bowl in the same video.
The relationship between the King and his new Queen has been compared to the famous musical The King and I.
The play follows strong-willed, widowed schoolteacher Anna Leonowens, who arrives in Bangkok at the request of the King of Siam to tutor his children.
Romantic feelings later blossom between the King and tutor.
