Suthida Bajrasudhabimalalakshana ( th, สุทิดา พัชรสุธาพิมลลักษณ, , ), born Suthida Tidjai ( th, สุทิดา ติดใจ; 3 June 1978), is

Queen of Thailand The monarchy of Thailand (whose monarch is referred to as the king of Thailand; th, พระมหากษัตริย์ไทย, or historically, king of Siam; th, พระมหากษัตริย์สยาม) refers to the c ...

as the fourth wife of King

Vajiralongkorn Vajiralongkorn ( th, วชิราลงกรณ; , ; born 28 July 1952) is the King of Thailand. He is the only son of King Bhumibol Adulyadej and Queen Sirikit. In 1972, at the age of 20, he was made crown prince by his father. After his ...

. Before their marriage, she was a flight attendant. After joining the Thai military, she was promoted to King’s bodyguard.

Early life and education

Suthida was born on 3 June 1978 to the Tidjai family, Kham (father) and Jangheang (mother). She is ethnically

Hokkien The Hokkien () variety of Chinese is a Southern Min language native to and originating from the Minnan region, where it is widely spoken in the south-eastern part of Fujian in southeastern mainland China. It is one of the national languages in ...

, coming from a

Thai Chinese Thai Chinese (also known as Chinese Thais, Sino-Thais), Thais of Chinese origin ( th, ชาวไทยเชื้อสายจีน; ''exonym and also domestically''), endonym Thai people ( th, ชาวไทย), are Chinese descenda ...

family. She graduated from Hatyaiwittayalai Somboonkulkanya Middle School and Assumption University with a bachelor's degree in communication arts in 2000. Suthida was formerly a flight attendant for JALways – a

Japan Airlines , also known as JAL (''Jaru'') or , is an international airline and Japan's flag carrier and largest airline as of 2021 and 2022, headquartered in Shinagawa, Tokyo. Its main hubs are Tokyo's Narita International Airport and Haneda Airport, as w ...

' subsidiary – from 2000 to 2003 and later

Thai Airways International Thai Airways International Public Company Limited, trading as THAI (, th, บริษัท การบินไทย จำกัด (มหาชน)) is the flag carrier airline of Thailand. Formed in 1961, the airline has its corporate h ...

in 2003 until 2008.

Crown Prince's guard

Suthida was appointed commander of Crown Prince

's household guard in August 2014. As early as 2010, Suthida was linked romantically to the crown prince, who was then still married to

Srirasmi Suwadee Srirasmi Suwadee ( th, ศรีรัศมิ์ สุวะดี; ; born 9 December 1971), formerly Princess Srirasmi, Royal Consort to the Crown Prince of Thailand, is a former member of the royal family of Thailand. She was the third cons ...

. In October 2016, international media reports labeled her as the designated king's "

consort __NOTOC__ Consort may refer to: Music * "The Consort" (Rufus Wainwright song), from the 2000 album ''Poses'' * Consort of instruments, term for instrumental ensembles * Consort song (musical), a characteristic English song form, late 16th–earl ...

", despite the palace never officially declaring their relationship. On 13 October 2017, she was named a Dame Grand Cross (First Class) of The Most Illustrious

Order of Chula Chom Klao The Most Illustrious Order of Chula Chom Klao ( th, เครื่องราชอิสริยาภรณ์จุลจอมเกล้า; ) was established on 16 November 1873 by King Chulalongkorn, Rama V of The Thailand, Kingdom of ...

, which bestows the title

Than Phu Ying Honorifics are a class of words or grammatical morphemes that encode a wide variety of social relationships between interlocutors or between interlocutors and referents.Foley, William. ''Anthropological Linguistics: An Introduction''. Oxford: Black ...

( th, ท่านผู้หญิง). She is the first female officer to receive this honour since 2004 and the first in the reign of King Rama X.

Royal Thai Army service

On 1 December 2016, she was appointed Commander of the Special Operations Unit of the

King's Guard The King's Guard and King's Life Guard (called the Queen's Guard and the Queen's Life Guard when the reigning monarch is female) are the contingents of infantry and cavalry soldiers charged with guarding the official royal residences in the U ...

and promoted to the rank of

general A general officer is an Officer (armed forces), officer of highest military ranks, high rank in the army, armies, and in some nations' air forces, space forces, and marines or naval infantry. In some usages the term "general officer" refers t ...

. She reached her present rank after only six years of service. She has successfully completed several military training courses. On 1 June 2017, she was appointed as acting commander of Royal Thai Aide-de-camp Department following the reorganization of the

Royal Security Command The Royal Security Command ( th, หน่วยบัญชาการถวายความปลอดภัยรักษาพระองค์) is the king of Thailand's military household and is part of Thailand's royal court administ ...

Queen consort

On 1 May 2019, Suthida was made Queen of Thailand of King

whose coronation took place in Bangkok on 4–6 May 2019. The marriage registration took place at the

Amphorn Sathan Residential Hall The Amphorn Sathan Residential Hall or the Ambara Villa ( th, พระที่นั่งอัมพรสถาน: ''Phra Thinang Amphorn Sathan'') is a royal mansion situated inside Bangkok's Dusit Palace. It served as the primary residence ...

Bangkok Bangkok, officially known in Thai language, Thai as Krung Thep Maha Nakhon and colloquially as Krung Thep, is the capital and most populous city of Thailand. The city occupies in the Chao Phraya River delta in central Thailand and has an estima ...

, with her sister-in-law Princess

Sirindhorn Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn, The Princess Royal and Princess Debaratana Rajasuda ( th, มหาจักรีสิรินธร, ; ; born April 2, 1955), formerly Princess Sirindhorn Debaratanasuda Kitivadhanadulsobhak ( th, สมเ ...

and President of Privy Council

Prem Tinsulanonda Prem Tinsulanonda ( th, เปรม ติณสูลานนท์, , ; 26 August 1920 – 26 May 2019) was a Thai military officer, politician, and statesman who served as the Prime Minister of Thailand from 3 March 1980 to 4 August 1988, ...

as witnesses.

Title, styles, honours and awards

* Since 4 May 2019: ''Her Majesty'' Queen Suthida Bajarasudha Bimollaksana (สมเด็จพระนางเจ้าสุทิดา พัชรสุธาพิมลลักษณ พระบรมราชินี)

Honours

Order of the Royal House of Chakri (Thailand) ribbon

Dame of The Most Illustrious

Order of the Royal House of Chakri The Most Illustrious Order of the Royal House of Chakri ( th, เครื่องขัตติยราชอิสริยาภรณ์อันมีเกียรติคุณรุ่งเรืองยิ่งมหาจัก� ...

Order of the Nine Gems (Thailand) ribbon

Dame of The Ancient and Auspicious Order of the Nine Gems * Order of Chula Chom Klao - 1st Class (Thailand) ribbon

Dame Grand Cross (First Class) of The Most Illustrious

* Dame Grand Cordon (Special Class) of The Most Exalted

Order of the White Elephant __NOTOC__ The Most Exalted Order of the White Elephant ( th, เครื่องราชอิสริยาภรณ์อันเป็นที่เชิดชูยิ่งช้างเผือก; ) is an order (decoration), orde ...

* Dame Grand Cordon (Special Class) of The Most Noble

Order of the Crown of Thailand The Most Noble Order of the Crown of Thailand ( th, เครื่องราชอิสริยาภรณ์อันมีเกียรติยศยิ่งมงกุฎไทย; ) is a Thai order, established in 1869 by King Rama ...

King Rama IX Royal Cypher Medal (Thailand) ribbon

Royal Cypher Medal of King Rama IX * King Rama X Royal Cypher Medal (Thailand) ribbon

Royal Cypher Medal of King Rama X State decorations awarded by Thai King take the form of orders and medals. This page lists them by order of precedence. Royal decorations ; Royal orders ; Order of precedence Royal medals Medals for acts of bravery File:Rama Medal for Galla ...

Crown Prince Maha Vajiralongkorn 60th Birthday (Thailand) ribbon

Commemorative Medal on the Occasion of the 60th Birthday Anniversary of H.R.H. Prince Maha Vajiralongkorn * King Rama X Coronation Medal (Thailand) ribbon

King Rama X Coronation Medal (Thailand) ribbon

Commemorative Medal on the Occasion of the Coronation of H.M. King Rama X

Military ranks

* 14 May 2010:

Second Lieutenant Second lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer military rank in many armed forces, comparable to NATO OF-1 rank. Australia The rank of second lieutenant existed in the military forces of the Australian colonies and Australian Army until ...

* 14 November 2010:

First Lieutenant First lieutenant is a commissioned officer military rank in many armed forces; in some forces, it is an appointment. The rank of lieutenant has different meanings in different military formations, but in most forces it is sub-divided into a s ...

* 1 April 2011:

Captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police department, election precinct, e ...

* 1 October 2011:

Major Major (commandant in certain jurisdictions) is a military rank of commissioned officer status, with corresponding ranks existing in many military forces throughout the world. When used unhyphenated and in conjunction with no other indicators ...

* 1 April 2012:

Lieutenant Colonel Lieutenant colonel ( , ) is a rank of commissioned officers in the armies, most marine forces and some air forces of the world, above a major and below a colonel. Several police forces in the United States use the rank of lieutenant colone ...

* 1 October 2012:

Colonel Colonel (abbreviated as Col., Col or COL) is a senior military officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, a colonel was typically in charge of ...

* 10 November 2013:

Major-General Major general (abbreviated MG, maj. gen. and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of sergeant major general. The disappearance of the "sergeant" in the title explains the apparent confusion of a ...

* 26 August 2016:

Lieutenant-General Lieutenant general (Lt Gen, LTG and similar) is a three-star military rank (NATO code OF-8) used in many countries. The rank traces its origins to the Middle Ages, where the title of lieutenant general was held by the second-in-command on the ...

* 10 December 2016:

General A general officer is an Officer (armed forces), officer of highest military ranks, high rank in the army, armies, and in some nations' air forces, space forces, and marines or naval infantry. In some usages the term "general officer" refers t ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Suthida 21st-century Thai women 21st-century Chakri dynasty Living people People from Songkhla province Thai queens consort Royal Thai Army generals Consorts of Vajiralongkorn Mahidol family Assumption University (Thailand) alumni Thai people of Chinese descent 1978 births Suthida Vajiralongkorn Flight attendants