Princess Srirasmi of Thailand resigned her royal post on Friday and agreed to a divorce from Crown Prince Vajiralongkorn following a corruption scandal that has ensnared her family.
"Princess Srirasmi, wife of Crown Prince Maha Vajiralongkorn . . . has written to respectfully resign from her status in the royal family and permission has been granted by His Majesty the King," read a statement issued by the royal palace,
Reuters reported via the Times of India. The statement also confirmed the dissolution of the 13-year marriage.
Srirasmi, 43, is the third wife of the prince, who is likely to ascend the throne. King Bhumibol, 87, is ailing, and recently had his gallbladder removed.
"This announcement will add a greater sense of uncertainty and anxiety among Thais over the future of their monarchy — not just with the current generation, but with later generations too," Pavin Chachavalpongpun, a Thai expert at Japan's Kyoto University,
told AFP.
More than 20 of Srirasmi's relatives have been arrested in a series of anti-corruption probes in recent months. Allegations include charges of bribery, running illegal casinos, oil smuggling, kidnapping, extortion, as well as defaming the monarchy — a highly punishable offense in Thailand.
In the wake of those arrests this November, the prince sought to strip his wife of her royal status and surname by divorcing her.
The couple has a 9-year-old son, who will remain in the prince's custody. Srirasimi will be conferred with a new title in the wake of the divorce — "Thanpuying," the highest honorific for a commoner.
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