Thailand: Visit of King’s estranged sons comes at a delicate time for monarchy

CNN
 — 

When an estranged son of Thailand’s King Maha Vajirilongkorn turned up in the capital Bangkok earlier this month after a three decade-long absence, it caught many in the kingdom by surprise.

Vacharaesorn Vivacharawongse, 42, is the King’s second oldest son but had been living and working in the United States with his mother and siblings ever since his family’s estrangement from the royal family following his parents’ divorce in 1996.

Stripped of his royal title, Vacharaesorn had been educated in the US and the United Kingdom and became a lawyer working in New York.

So when Vacharaesorn was photographed last Tuesday visiting a…