Suthida Bajrasudhabimalalakshana (, , ), born Suthida Tidjai (; 3 June 1978), is Queen of Thailand as the fourth wife of King Vajiralongkorn. Before their marriage, she was a flight attendant. After joining the Thai military, she was promoted to King's bodyguard.

Early life and education

Suthida was born on 3 June 1978 to the Tidjai family, Kham (father) and Jangheang (mother). She is ethnically

Hokkien Hokkien ( , ) is a Varieties of Chinese, variety of the Southern Min group of Chinese language, Chinese languages. Native to and originating from the Minnan region in the southeastern part of Fujian in southeastern China, it is also referred ...

, coming from a

Thai Chinese Thai Chinese (also known as Chinese Thais, Sino-Thais) are persons of Chinese people, Chinese descent in Thailand. Thai Chinese are the largest mixed group in the country and the largest overseas Chinese community in the world with a popul ...

family. She graduated from Hatyaiwittayalai Somboonkulkanya Middle School and Assumption University with a bachelor's degree in communication arts in 2000. Suthida was formerly a flight attendant for

JALways , formerly , was an international airline registered in Shinagawa, Tokyo, Shinagawa, Tokyo, Japan, with its headquarters and its airline hub, main hub at Narita International Airport. The airline had a secondary hub at Osaka's Kansai Internationa ...

– a

Japan Airlines Japan Airlines (JAL) is the flag carrier airline of Japan. JAL is headquartered in Shinagawa, Tokyo. Its main hubs are Tokyo's Narita International Airport, Narita and Haneda Airport, Haneda airports, as well as secondary hubs in Osaka's Kansai ...

' subsidiary – from 2000 to 2003 and later

Thai Airways International Thai Airways International plc () is the flag carrier airline of Thailand. Formed in 1961 as a joint venture between SAS and Thai Airways Company, the airline has its corporate headquarters in Vibhavadi Rangsit Road, Chatuchak district, Bang ...

in 2003 until 2008.

Military service

Suthida was appointed commander of Crown Prince

Vajiralongkorn Vajiralongkorn (born 28 July 1952) is King of Thailand. He is the tenth Thai monarch of the Chakri dynasty since ascending the throne in 2016 with the regnal name Rama X. The only son of King Bhumibol Adulyadej (Rama IX) and Queen Sirik ...

's household guard,

Royal Thai Armed Forces Headquarters The Royal Thai Armed Forces Headquarters ( or the RTARF HQ, is the "mostly ornamental" joint headquarters of the Royal Thai Armed Forces, which is composed of the Royal Thai Army, the Royal Thai Navy and Royal Thai Marine Corps, and the Royal Th ...

in August 2014. In October 2016, international media reports labeled her as the designated king's "

consort __NOTOC__ Consort may refer to: Music * "The Consort" (Rufus Wainwright song), from the 2000 album ''Poses'' * Consort of instruments, term for instrumental ensembles * Consort song (musical), a characteristic English song form, late 16th–earl ...

", despite the palace never officially declaring their relationship. On 1 December 2016, she was appointed Commander of the Special Operations Unit of the

Royal Security Command The Royal Security Command () is the king of Thailand's military household and is part of Thailand's royal court administration. It exercises command and control over the military units that are engaged full-time in the protection and guarding o ...

and promoted to the rank of

general A general officer is an Officer (armed forces), officer of high rank in the army, armies, and in some nations' air force, air and space forces, marines or naval infantry. In some usages, the term "general officer" refers to a rank above colone ...

. She reached her present rank after only six years of service. She has successfully completed several military training courses. On 1 June 2017, she was appointed as acting commander of Royal Thai Aide-de-camp Department following the reorganization of the

. On 13 October 2017, she was named a Dame Grand Cross (First Class) of The Most Illustrious Order of Chula Chom Klao, which bestows the title

Than Phu Ying Honorifics (linguistics), Honorifics are a class of words or grammatical morphemes that encode a wide variety of social relationships between interlocutors or between interlocutors and referents.Foley, William. ''Anthropological Linguistics: An In ...

(). She is the first female officer to receive this honour since 2004 and the first in the reign of King

Rama X Vajiralongkorn (born 28 July 1952) is King of Thailand. He is the tenth Thai monarch of the Chakri dynasty since ascending the throne in 2016 with the regnal name Rama X. The only son of King Bhumibol Adulyadej (Rama IX) and Queen Sirik ...

Queen consort

On 1 May 2019, Suthida was made Queen of Thailand by King

whose coronation took place in Bangkok on 4–6 May 2019. The marriage registration took place at the

Amphorn Sathan Residential Hall The Amphorn Sathan Residential Hall or the Ambara Villa (: ''Phra Thinang Amphorn Sathan'') is a royal mansion situated inside Bangkok's Dusit Palace. It served as the primary residence of the former King Bhumibol Adulyadej (Rama IX) and former Q ...

Bangkok Bangkok, officially known in Thai language, Thai as Krung Thep Maha Nakhon and colloquially as Krung Thep, is the capital and most populous city of Thailand. The city occupies in the Chao Phraya River delta in central Thailand and has an estim ...

, with her sister-in-law The Princess Royal Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn and President of Privy Council

Prem Tinsulanonda Prem Tinsulanonda (, , ; 26 August 1920 – 26 May 2019) was a Thai military officer, politician, and statesman who served as the Prime Minister of Thailand from 1980 to 1988. During Prem’s tenure as prime minister, he was credited with end ...

as witnesses. On 10 May 2024, King Vajiralongkorn and Queen Suthida presided over the

Royal Ploughing Ceremony Royal Ploughing Ceremony (, ; , ; , ), also known as The Ploughing Festival, is an ancient royal rite held in many Asian countries to mark the traditional beginning of the rice growing season. The royal ploughing ceremony, called (, ) or (), was ...

at Phra Meru Grounds (

Sanam Luang Sanam Luang (, ; ), officially Thong Sanam Luang (), is a open field and public square in front of Wat Phra Kaew and the Grand Palace, Bangkok, Thailand. Sanam Luang is in the Phra Nakhon District, the historic center of Bangkok. In the ''Roy ...

) in Bangkok. They were accompanied with the others members of the royal family.

Title, styles, honours and awards

* Since 4 May 2019: ''Her Majesty The Queen'' Suthida Bajarasudha Bimollaksana (สมเด็จพระนางเจ้าสุทิดา พัชรสุธาพิมลลักษณ พระบรมราชินี)

Honours

* Dame of The Most Illustrious Order of the Royal House of Chakri * Dame of The Ancient and Auspicious Order of the Nine Gems * Dame Grand Cross (First Class) of The Most Illustrious Order of Chula Chom Klao (13 October 2017) * Dame Grand Cordon (Special Class) of The Most Exalted

Order of the White Elephant __NOTOC__ The Most Exalted Order of the White Elephant (; ) is an order (decoration), order of Thailand. It was established in 1861 by King Mongkut, Rama IV of the Thailand, Kingdom of Siam. Along with the Order of the Crown of Thailand, it is r ...

* Dame Grand Cordon (Special Class) of The Most Noble

Order of the Crown of Thailand The Most Noble Order of the Crown of Thailand (; ) is a Thai order, established in 1869 by King Rama V of The Kingdom of Siam (now Thailand) for Thais, the royal family, governmental employees, and foreign dignitaries for their outstanding serv ...

* Royal Cypher Medal of King Rama IX *

Royal Cypher Medal of King Rama X State decorations awarded by Thai King take the form of Order (honour), orders and medals. This page lists them by order of precedence. Royal decorations ; Royal orders ; Order of precedence Royal medals Medals for acts of bravery File:Ram ...

* King Vajiralongkorn's Court Medal

Military ranks

* 14 May 2010: Second Lieutenant * 14 November 2010:

First Lieutenant First lieutenant is a commissioned officer military rank in many armed forces; in some forces, it is an appointment. The rank of lieutenant has different meanings in different military formations, but in most forces it is sub-divided into a se ...

* 1 April 2011:

Captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader or highest rank officer of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police depa ...

* 1 October 2011:

Major Major most commonly refers to: * Major (rank), a military rank * Academic major, an academic discipline to which an undergraduate student formally commits * People named Major, including given names, surnames, nicknames * Major and minor in musi ...

* 1 April 2012: Lieutenant Colonel * 1 October 2012:

Colonel Colonel ( ; abbreviated as Col., Col, or COL) is a senior military Officer (armed forces), officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries, a colon ...

* 10 November 2013: Major-General * 26 August 2016:

Lieutenant-General Lieutenant general (Lt Gen, LTG and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. The rank traces its origins to the Middle Ages, where the title of lieutenant general was held by the second-in-command on the battlefield, who was normall ...

* 10 December 2016:

General A general officer is an Officer (armed forces), officer of high rank in the army, armies, and in some nations' air force, air and space forces, marines or naval infantry. In some usages, the term "general officer" refers to a rank above colone ...

* 6 March 2025 :

Admiral Admiral is one of the highest ranks in many navies. In the Commonwealth nations and the United States, a "full" admiral is equivalent to a "full" general in the army or the air force. Admiral is ranked above vice admiral and below admiral of ...

* 6 March 2025 :

Air Chief Marshal Air chief marshal (Air Chf Mshl or ACM) is a high-ranking air officer rank used by some air forces, with origins from the Royal Air Force. The rank is used by air forces of many Commonwealth of Nations, countries that have historical British i ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Suthida 21st-century Thai women 21st-century Thai people 21st-century Chakri dynasty Living people People from Songkhla province Queens consort of Thailand Royal Thai Army generals Consorts of Vajiralongkorn Mahidol family Assumption University (Thailand) alumni Thai people of Chinese descent 1978 births Suthida Vajiralongkorn Flight attendants