The woman who was in line to become
Thailand's next queen has relinquished her royal title following revelations last month that
several members of her family were detained in a high-profile corruption
scandal.
A brief statement from the palace's
Royal Gazette that was made public late Friday said Princess Srirasm, the wife
of Crown Prince Vajiralongkorn, had asked permission to give up her royal
status.
The statement gave no reason for the
move, but said 87-year-old King Bhumibol Adulyadej had approved the request.
Srirasm has been married to Vajiralongkorn
since 2001. The couple have a 9-year-old son who could potentially have become
king himself one day since Vajiralongkorn is the current heir to the throne.
Last month, Vajiralongkorn asked the
government to strip several members of Srirasm's family of their royally-issued
surname after they had been detained along with several police officers in a
corruption investigation. They are facing charges ranging from bribery to
extortion and using the monarchy's name for personal benefit.
The news comes at a sensitive time for
the monarchy, with King Bhumibol, the world's longest-reigning monarch, in poor
health. Thailand celebrated Bhumibol's birthday on Dec. 5, but the monarch
failed to make an expected public appearance.
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