Thailand’s royal palace has released rare photographs of the king’s new consort, prompting its website to crash.
Sineenat Wongvajirapakdi, 34, is shown in action-packed images piloting a fighter jet, firing a gun, wearing combat fatigues and taking part in royal ceremonies.
She is also snapped taking part in military drills and laughing at a table with the king.
The website hosting the photos, along with her biography, reportedly crashed after receiving high volumes of traffic.
Thailand’s palace said in a statement that the king had "ordered the creation of a royal biography" for Sineenat, who is a trained pilot, nurse and bodyguard.
King Maha Vajiralongkorn, 67, bestowed the title consort – which is a title given by a monarch to his or her spouse of companion – in July, two months after his marriage to his third wife, Queen Suthida.
Sineerat is the first woman to hold such a position in almost a century, AFP reports.
The images and details give an intimate glimpse into the private lives of the powerful, ultra-wealthy monarchy, which is protected by a royal insult law.
A maximum sentence for breaching the law carries a 15-year prison sentence.
The consort was born in the northern province of Nan, graduated from the Royal Thai army nursing college, trained as a pilot in Thailand as well as abroad and served in the king’s royal bodyguard unit – reaching the rank of major general in May.
Queen Suthida, 41, is a former flight attendant and deputy head of the king’s bodyguard unit.
She is King Vajiralongkorn's long-term partner and has been seen with him in public for many years.
Suthida is the fourth wife of the monarch, who has a teenage son from his third marriage and six other children.
He took the throne after his father’s death in 2016.
