THIS KING SHOCKS ALL ON WEDDING DAY, MARRIES OWN BODYGUARD

Thailand's King Maha Vajiralongkorn gave a shocking surprise to his people on Wednesday after marrying the deputy head of his personal guard force and gave her the title Queen Suthida. He broke this news, just days before his official coronation. Vajiralongkorn has previously been married and divorced three times and has seven children.

According to India Today reports, Vajiralongkorn, 66, also known by the title King Rama X, became constitutional monarch after the death of his revered father, King Bhumibol Adulyadej, in October 2016, after 70 years on the throne. He is due to be officially crowned in elaborate Buddhist and Brahmin ceremonies on Saturday, followed by a procession through Bangkok the next day.

Media reports further state that, in 2014, Vajiralongkorn appointed Suthida Tidjai, a former flight attendant for Thai Airways, as a deputy commander of his bodyguard unit. Foreign media had earlier linked Suthida romantically with the king, but the palace had previously never acknowledged a relationship between them.

The king made Suthida a full general in the Royal Thai Army in December 2016, and the deputy commander of the king's personal guard in 2017. He also made her a Thanpuying, a royal title meaning Lady, India Today added.

The surprise announcement was carried in the Royal Gazette, and footage from Wednesday's wedding ceremony was later shown on the nightly Royal News segment aired on all Thai television channels.