Women who were passed over – Thailand

The Kingdom of Thailand operates on something similar to male-preference primogeniture. The King usually appoints a Crown Prince, but if he dies without appointing one, the first heir presumptive in the line of succession will be invited to be King. Since 1974, the Thai Constitution states that in the absence of a royal son, a royal daughter may also be appointed. So, which women were passed over in history? We will start with the Chakri dynasty in 1782 and assume absolute primogeniture.

Princess Yingyaowalak Agrarajasuda

Princess Yingyaowalak Agrarajasuda was the eldest surviving child of King Mongkut and a concubine named Phae. She was born on 21 January 1852. She never married but reportedly had a child with a monk, after which she was stripped of her royal titles. She was imprisoned after the birth of a son and died in 1886.

Princess Phongpraphai

Princess Phongpraphai was born on 19 December 1867 as the eldest child of King Chulalongkorn and Noble Consort Khae Phuengbun. She never married and died at the age of 74 on 1 March 1942.

Princess Bejaratana Rajasuda

Princess Bejaratana Rajasuda was born on 25 November 1925 as the only child of King Vajiravudh and Princess Suvadhana. Her father died the day after she was born at the age of 44. Instead of the one-day-old Princess, her uncle Prajadhipok was proclaimed King. She took on royal duties but never married. She died on 27 July 2011.

Princess Ubolratana Rajakanya

Princess Ubolratana Rajakanya was born on 5 April 1951 as the eldest child of King Bhumibol Adulyadej and Queen Sirikit. In 1972, she married American Peter Ladd Jensen, which would have disqualified her as a potential Queen as a foreign consort is not allowed. She and her husband had three children together before divorcing in 1998. She returned to Thailand permanently in 2001. Her younger brother became King Maha Vajiralongkorn in 2016 when their father died.

King Maha Vajiralongkorn has not officially designated a Crown Prince yet. He has been married four times and has several children who have been excluded from the line of succession. His eldest child is Bajrakitiyabha, Princess Rajasarini Siribajra, who collapsed in 2022 and is reportedly being kept alive by machines.