BANGKOK (Reuters) - Just days before his official coronation, Thailand’s King Maha Vajiralongkorn on Wednesday married the deputy head of his personal guard force and gave her the title Queen Suthida.

King Maha Vajiralongkorn and his consort, General Suthida Vajiralongkorn named Queen Suthida sign marriage documents during their wedding ceremony in Bangkok, Thailand May 1, 2019, in this screen grab taken from a video. Thai TV Pool

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.

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.

In 2014, Vajiralongkorn appointed Suthida Tidjai, a former flight attendant for Thai Airways, as a deputy commander of his bodyguard unit.

Some royal observers and foreign media had 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.

Among the dignitaries at the wedding were Prayuth Chan-ocha, the leader of the military junta that has run Thailand since a 2014 army coup, as well as other members of the royal family and palace advisers, the wedding footage showed.

Vajiralongkorn has previously been married and divorced three times and has seven children.

While the king took the throne after the death of his father, his formal coronation follows a mourning period for King Bhumibol, whose royal cremation was held a year after his death.</s>Thailand's King Maha Vajiralongkorn, who will have his official coronation on Saturday, has appointed his consort as the country's queen.

An announcement Wednesday in the Royal Gazette said Suthida Vajiralongkorn Na Ayudhya is legally married to the 66-year-old king, and is now Queen Suthida.

Although she has been in the public eye for about three years, there has been little official information released about her and the news was a surprise to many Thais. She is reported to be 40 years old and to have previously worked as a flight attendant for Thai Airways International. The two reportedly met on a flight.

Suthida joined the palace guard in 2013 and became commander of the king's security unit, currently holding a general's rank. The new queen also has several top royal decorations.

Vajiralongkorn has had three previous marriages and divorced his previous wife, with whom he has a son, in 2014. He became king after the death in October 2016 of his father, King Bhumibol Adulyadej.

Thai television, which broadcast the royal order Wednesday evening, showed a video of Suthida prostrating herself before the king, to whom she, according to the announcer, presented a tray of flowers and joss sticks, and in return was bestowed traditional gifts associated with royal power.

It also showed the king in a white uniform and his bride in a pink silk traditional dress formally registering their marriage on Wednesday in his palace residence in the capital, Bangkok. It showed what the television announcer said was the couple signing a marriage certificate book, which was also signed by the king's sister, Princess Sirindhorn, and Privy Council head Prem Tinsulanonda as witnesses. Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha and other senior officials were also in attendance.

This story has been corrected to show that Suthida joined the palace guard in 2013, not 2014.

© Copyright 2019 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.</s>Thai King Maha Vajiralongkorn has married his long-term consort and given her the title Queen Suthida just days before his coronation.

Suthida Vajiralongkorn na Ayudhya, a former Thai Airways flight attendant, 'legally married' the king in accordance with royal traditions, an announcement in the Royal Gazette said.

Long seen trailing the king in public events as part of his personal security retinue, Suthida was given the rank of 'general' in 2017.

The unpredictable monarch is due to be crowned the 10th monarch of the Chakri dynasty in an elaborate three-day ceremony starting Saturday.

Vajiralongkorn, who has been married three times, has spent much of his time in Germany.

Harsh lese-majeste laws have shielded public scrutiny of his colourful private life, and all media in Thailand must self-censor.

This weekend's coronation will be the first since Vajiralongkorn's late father's nearly 70 years ago.

It was not immediately clear what role Queen Suthida will play in the ceremony.</s>Thailand's King Maha Vajiralongkorn has married the deputy head of his personal security, according to a royal statement.

She will now wear the title of Queen Suthida.

The surprise move came before ceremonies start on Saturday to consecrate the royal's position.

"(The King) has decided to promote General Suthida Vajiralongkorn Na Ayudhya, his royal consort, to become Queen Suthida and she will hold royal title and status as part of the royal family," the statement read.

Video from the wedding was shown on the nightly Royal News segment aired on all Thai television channels.

Members of the royal family and dignitaries, including Prayuth Chan-ocha — leader of the military government that has run Thailand since a 2014 army coup — could be seen attending the ceremony in the footage.

During the ceremony, the King poured sacred water on Queen Suthida, who also lay on the ground in front of him. The couple then signed a marriage register.

King Vajiralongkorn, 66, has been married three times and has seven children.

He became the constitutional monarch after the death of his father, the revered King Bhumibol Adulyadej, in 2016, after which a year-long period of mourning was announced.

Suthida was made a general in the Royal Thai Army in December 2016, and the deputy commander of the king's personal guard in 2017, both at the king's request.

Bhumibol Adulyadej ruled for 70 years before his death, making him the longest-reigning monarch in the world.</s>Bangkok: King Maha Vajiralongkorn's new wife, Suthida Vajiralongkorn Na Ayutthaya, has been named Thailand's Queen effective from Wednesday, three days ahead of his coronation.

The announcement was made in the Royal Gazette, which said the king has legally married Suthida, but did not specify the date of their marriage.

Suthida, who is believed to be 40, has long been rumoured to be romantically linked with Vajiralongkorn, 66, since he was the Crown Prince, but their relationship was not made public until now.

Suthida is Vajiralongkorn's fourth wife. The king has five sons and two daughters from his previous marriages.</s>Thailand’s King Maha Vajiralongkorn has married his deputy head of security in a surprise ceremony broadcast on all Thai TV channels, days before the king’s official coronation. Although the bride, Suthida Tidjai, had been linked romantically with the king before, the palace had never acknowledged any relationship</s>Bangkok -- Thailand's King Maha Vajiralongkorn has appointed his consort as the country's queen ahead of his official coronation on Saturday. An announcement Wednesday in the Royal Gazette said Suthida Vajiralongkorn Na Ayudhya was legally married to the 66-year-old king, and was now Queen Suthida.

Although she has been in the public eye for about three years, there has been little official information released about her and the news was a surprise to many Thais. She is reported to be 40 years old and to have previously worked as a flight attendant for Thai Airways International. The two reportedly met on a flight.

Suthida joined the palace guard in 2013 and became commander of the king's security unit, currently holding a general's rank. The new queen also has several top royal decorations.

Vajiralongkorn has had three previous marriages and divorced his previous wife, with whom he has a son, in 2014. He became king after the death in October 2016 of his father, King Bhumibol Adulyadej.

Thai television, which broadcast the royal order Wednesday evening, showed a video of Suthida prostrating herself before the king. According to the announcer, she presented the king with a tray of flowers and joss sticks, and in return was bestowed traditional gifts associated with royal power.

TV showed the king in a white uniform and his bride in a pink silk traditional dress formally registering their marriage on Wednesday in his palace residence in Bangkok. The couple was seen signing a marriage certificate book, which was also signed by the king's sister, Princess Sirindhorn, and Privy Council head Prem Tinsulanonda as witnesses. Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha and other senior officials were also in attendance.

Thailand is ruled by a military government and the royal family still wields significant influence as an embodiment of power.

Insulting the monarch, queen or heir apparent is punishable by three to 15 years in prison under Thai law. In practice, however, the rules are more widely interpreted, and the military government has been criticized for its frequent use of the law to silence critics since it seized power in May 2014.

The "lese majeste" law has been widely condemned, including by rights groups and the United Nations, which has called for it to be revoked. Some 100 cases of lese majeste have been prosecuted since the 2014 coup, according to the legal aid group Thai Lawyers for Human Rights.</s>Thailand has a new queen just in time for the coronation of King Maha Vajiralongkorn in elaborate...</s>Thailand’s King Maha Vajiralongkorn has appointed his consort as the country’s queen ahead of his official coronation on Saturday.

An announcement in the Royal Gazette said Suthida Vajiralongkorn Na Ayudhya is legally married to the 66-year-old king, and is now Queen Suthida.

Although she has been in the public eye for about three years, there has been little official information released about her and the news was a surprise to many Thais.

Suthida is reported to be 40 and to have previously worked as a flight attendant for Thai Airways International. They reportedly met on a flight.

She joined the palace guard in 2013 and became commander of the king’s security unit, currently holding a general’s rank. The new queen also has several top royal decorations.

Vajiralongkorn has had three previous marriages and divorced his previous wife, with whom he has a son, in 2014. He became king after the death of his father King Bhumibol Adulyadej in October 2016.

Thai television, which broadcast the royal order, showed a video of Suthida prostrating herself before the king.

According to the announcer, she presented the king with a tray of flowers and joss sticks, and in return was bestowed traditional gifts associated with royal power.

TV showed the king in a white uniform and his bride in a pink silk traditional dress formally registering their marriage in his palace residence in Bangkok.

The couple were seen signing a marriage certificate book, which was also signed by the king’s sister, Princess Sirindhorn, and privy council head Prem Tinsulanonda as witnesses.

Prime minister Prayuth Chan-ocha and other senior officials were also in attendance.</s>BANGKOK (Reuters) - Thailand's King Maha Vajiralongkorn announced on Wednesday that he had married his consort, General Suthida Vajiralongkorn, and named her Queen Suthida.

The announcement, carried in the Royal Gazette, came just before the official coronation of the king, 66, on May 4-6.

Vajiralongkorn, 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.

In 2014, Vajiralongkorn appointed Suthida Tidjai, a former flight attendant for Thai Airways, as a deputy commander of his bodyguard unit.

Some royal observers and foreign media have 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 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.

While the king took the throne after the death of his father, his formal coronation follows a mourning period for King Bhumibol, whose royal cremation was held a year after his death.
Vajiralongkorn, King of Thailand, marries his head of security and mistress, General Suthida Tidjai, days before his coronation.