The Chakri dynasty, unofficially the House of Chakri, is the current reigning dynasty of the Kingdom of Thailand. The head of the house is the king, who is head of state. The family has ruled Thailand since the founding of the Rattanakosin era and the city of Bangkok in 1782; following the end of Taksin's reign, when the capital of Siam shifted to Bangkok. The dynasty was founded by Rama I, a former military leader of the Thonburi Kingdom who came from the old Ayutthaya elite.
Prior to his accession to the throne, Rama I held for years the title Chakri, the civil chancellor. In founding the dynasty, the king himself chose "Chakri" as the name for it. The emblem of the house is composed of the discus (Chakra) and the trident (Trishula), the celestial weapons of the gods Vishnu and Shiva, of whom the Thai sovereign is seen as an incarnation.
In terms of lineage, King Rama IV stated in his royal correspondence that the ancestry of the Chakri dynasty was not purely Thai but of mixed Mon and Chinese descent. The Diary of Kosa Pan: Thai Ambassador to France, June–July 1686, by Michael Smithies, p. 13 According to historian Edward van Roy, Kosa Pan was the son of Phraya Kiat, a Mon noble who supported Naresuan during the fourth Burmese–Siamese War, and , said to be a daughter of King Ekathotsarot and the wet nurse of Phetracha and Prince Narai, both future kings of Siam. Journal of the Siam Society, by Edward van Roy, p. 217 Through his son Khunthong, Kosa Pan was a great-great-grandfather of King Rama I, the founder of the Chakri dynasty. His elder brother, Lek, held the post of foreign minister before him. Somdet Phra Pathom Boromma Mahachanok (Thongdee), meanwhile, was the father of King Phutthayotfa Chulalok. Some theories further propose that the dynasty may descend from King Naresuan the Great of Ayutthaya, which if correct would link it by blood to the Phra Ruang dynasty of the Sukhothai.
The current head of the house is Vajiralongkorn who was proclaimed king on 1 December 2016, but has reigned with retroactive effect since 13 October 2016 after the death of his father Bhumibol Adulyadej. The house's current seat is the Grand Palace. On Saturday, 4 May 2019, the coronation of Vajiralongkorn, with the traditional ceremony, occurred in Bangkok.
Royal family
The present royal family of Thailand belongs to the House of Mahidol (; ), a cadet branch of the Chakri dynasty. The House was founded by Prince Mahidol Adulyadej (1891–1929) and Princess Srinagarindra (1900–1995). The Prince was a son of King Chulalongkorn and his wife Queen Savang Vadhana. The Prince was also the half-brother of both King Vajiravudh and King Prajadhipok. After the death of King Ananda Mahidol (Prince Mahidol's elder son), King Bhumibol Adulyadej (the Prince's younger son) ascended the throne in 1946. In 1949 the King married his first cousin once removed, Mom Rajawongse Sirikit Kitiyakara (a daughter of Mom Chao Nakkhatra Mangala Kitiyakara, a grandson of King Chulalongkorn). Bhumibol was succeeded by his son Vajiralongkorn officially on 13 October 2016, but was proclaimed King on 1 December 2016.
Members This is a list of current members of the royal family: The King and Queen (the monarch and his wife) Princess Sirivannavari (the King's daughter) Prince Dipangkorn Rasmijoti (the King's son and heir presumptive) Princess Ubol Ratana (the King's sister) The Princess Royal (the King's sister) The Princess Srisavangavadhana (the King's sister) Princess Siribha Chudhabhorn (the King's niece) Princess Aditayadorn Kitikhun (the King's niece) The Princess Suddhanarinatha (the King's ex-wife and maternal first cousin)
Other members
Descendants of Rama V Prince Chalermsuk Yugala (the King's paternal half-second cousin) Prince and Princess Nawaphansa Yugala (the King's paternal half-second cousin and his wife) Princess Srisavangvongse Yugala and Sakda Bunjitradulya (the King's paternal half-second cousin and her husband) Prince and Princess Dighambara Yugala (the King's paternal half-second cousin and his wife) Prince and Princess Chatrichalerm Yugala (the King's paternal half-second cousin and his wife) Princess Nobhadol Chalermsri Yugala (the King's paternal half-second cousin)
Descendants of Rama IV Princess Udayakanya Bhanubandhu (the King's paternal second cousin once removed) Prince and Princess Charuridhidej Jayankura (the King's paternal half-first cousin twice removed and his wife)
Other noble relatives Royal Noble Consort Sineenatha Bilaskalayani (the King's concubine) Sujarinee Vivacharawongse (the King's ex-wife and Princess Sirivannavari's mother) Juthavachara Vivacharawongse and Riya Gough (the King's eldest son and daughter-in-law) Vacharaesorn Vivacharawongse (the King's second son) Chakriwat Vivacharawongse (the King's third son) Vatchrawee Vivacharawongse (the King's fourth son) Dame Srirasmi Suwadee (the King's ex-wife and Prince Dipangkorn's mother)
Descendants of Rama IX Peter Ladd Jensen (Princess Ubol Ratana's ex-husband) Dame Ploypailin Jensen and David Wheeler (the King's niece and nephew-in-law) Maximus Wheeler (the King's great-nephew) Leonardo Wheeler (the King's great-nephew) Alexandra Wheeler (the King's great-niece) Dame Sirikitiya Jensen (the King's niece) Virayudh Tishyasarin (the Princess Srisavangavadhana's ex-husband)
Descendants of Mahidol Adulyadej Dame Dhasanawalaya and Sinthu Sornsongkram (the King's paternal first cousin and her husband) Jitat and Jessica Sornsongkram (the King's paternal first cousin once removed and his wife) Jerrica Sornsongkram (the King's paternal first cousin twice removed) Jaylanie Sornsongkram (the King's paternal first cousin twice removed) Jaylina Sornsongkram (the King's paternal first cousin twice removed)
Descendants of Rama V The 2nd Prince of Chanthaburis family: The Hon. Sirina and Piya Jittalan (the King's maternal first cousin and her husband) The Hon. Nathapha Kitiyakara and Wuthisak Ratanasuwan (the King's maternal first cousin and her husband; also the Princess Suddhanarinatha's sister and brother-in-law) Dame Busba and Captain Surayudh Sathanapong (the King's maternal aunt and uncle) Dame Suthawan and Surakiart Sathirathai (the King's maternal first cousin and her husband) Dame Vudhichalerm Vudhijaya (the King's paternal half-first cousin once removed) Bhanuma and Meth Phiphitphokha (the King's paternal half-second cousin and her husband) Phumariphirom and Jean-Marie Schell (the King's paternal half-second cousin and her husband) Padmonrangsi Senanarong (the King's paternal half-second cousin)
Descendants of Rama IV Bandhuvarobas Svetarundra (the King's paternal second cousin once removed)
Line of succession
King Mongkut (1804–1868) King Chulalongkorn (1853–1910) King Vajiravudh (1881–1925) King Prajadhipok (1893–1941) Mahidol Adulyadej, Prince Father (1892–1929) King Ananda Mahidol (1925–1946) King Bhumibol Adulyadej (1927–2016) King Vajiralongkorn (born 1952) (1) Prince Dipangkorn Rasmijoti (born 2005) (–) Juthavachara Vivacharawongse (born 1979) (–) Vacharaesorn Vivacharawongse (born 1981) (–) Chakriwat Vivacharawongse (born 1983) (–) Vatchrawee Vivacharawongse (born 1985) Bajrakitiyabha, Princess Rajasarini Siribajra (1978–2026) (2) Princess Sirivannavari (born 1987) (–) Princess Ubol Ratana (born 1951) (3) Sirindhorn, Princess Royal (born 1955) (4) Chulabhorn, Princess Srisavangavadhana (born 1957) (5) Princess Siribha Chudabhorn (born 1982) (6) Princess Aditayadorn Kitikhun (born 1984) Yugala Dighambara, Prince of Lopburi (1882–1932) Prince Bhanubandhu Yugala (1910–1995) (7) Prince Nawaphansa Yugala (born 1978) Prince Chalermbol Dighambara (1913–1991)(8) Prince Chalermsuk Yugala (born 1950)(9) Prince Dighambara Yugala (born 1951) Prince Anusorn Mongkolkarn (1915–1998)(10) Prince Chatrichalerm Yugala (born 1942) Chaiyanuchit, Prince Phongsadisonmahip (1861–1936)(11) Prince Charuridhidej Jayankura (born 1933)
+ Notes and sourcesMark Source for listing or note on exclusion from successionP 1924 Palace Law of Succession C 1. In the case where the Throne becomes vacant and the King has already appointed an Heir to the Throne under the 1924 Palace Law on Succession, and may be submitted the name of a Princess in "Constitution of the Kingdom of Thailand 2017" Chapter II: The King, Section 21. 2.The proposal of the name of a Princess to the throne, there has been an amendment to the constitution since 1974. Therefore, the lineage of the King Bhumibol Adulyadej is counted in accordance with the constitution amended in his reign.M Disqualified - married a foreignerX Was degraded from succession
Notes Princess Ubol Ratana (born 1951), eldest daughter of King Rama IX, renounced her right of succession for herself and her heirs upon her marriage in 1972. Juthavachara Vivacharawongse (born 1979), Vacharaesorn Vivacharawongse (born 1981), Chakriwat Vivacharawongse (born 1983), and Vatchrawee Vivacharawongse (born 1985), the sons of King Rama X and Sujarinee Vivacharawongse, are not in the line of succession to the throne.
History
Monarchs PortraitReign or Posthumous name / Personal nameBirthReignCoronationConsortsDeathClaimHis Majesty King Phutthayotfa Chulalok(Rama I)Thongduang20 March 1737Ayutthaya6 April 17827 September 1809()10 June 1782Queen Amarindraand 31 other consorts7 September 1809Phaisan Thaksin Hall, Grand Palace(aged )Made himself kingHis Majesty King Phutthaloetla Naphalai(Rama II)Chim24 February 1767Amphawa7 September 180921 July 1824()17 September 1809Queen Sri SuriyendraPrincess Consort Kunthon Thipphayawadiand 51 other consorts21 July 1824Phaisan Thaksin Hall, Grand Palace(aged )Son of Rama I and AmarindraHis Majesty King Nangklao(Rama III)Thap31 March 1788Thonburi Palace21 July 18242 April 1851()1 August 182442 consorts2 April 1851Phaisan Thaksin Hall, Grand Palace(aged )Son of Rama II and Sri SulalaiHis Majesty King Chomklao(Rama IV)Mongkut18 October 1804Thonburi Palace2 April 18511 October 1868()15 May 1851Queen Somanass WaddhanawathyQueen DebsirindraPrincess Phannaraiand 58 other consorts1 October 1868Phanumas Chamrun Hall, Grand Palace(aged )Son of Rama II and Sri SuriyendraHis Majesty King Chulachomklao(Rama V)Chulalongkorn20 September 1853Grand Palace1 October 186823 October 1910()11 November 1868Queen Sunanda KumariratanaQueen Sukhumala MarasriQueen Savang VadhanaQueen Saovabha Phongsriand 88 other consorts23 October 1910Amphorn Sathan Residential Hall, Dusit Palace(aged )Son of Rama IV and DebsirindraHis Majesty King Mongkutklao(Rama VI)Vajiravudh1 January 1881Grand Palace23 October 191026 November 1925()11 November 1910Princess Consort Indrasakdi SachiConsort Sucharit SudaPrincess Consort LakshamilavanPrincess Consort Suvadhana26 November 1925Chakraphat Phiman Hall, Grand Palace(aged )Son of Rama V and Saovabha PhongsriHis Majesty King Pokklao(Rama VII)Prajadhipok8 November 1893Sutdhasri Aphirom Hall, Grand Palace26 November 19252 March 1935()25 February 1926Queen Rambai Barni30 May 1941 Knowle House, Surrey(aged )Son of Rama V and Saovabha PhongsriHis Majesty King Ananda Mahidol(Rama VIII)20 September 1925Heidelberg2 March 19359 June 1946() never crownednever married9 June 1946Boromphiman Hall, Grand Palace(aged )Grandson of Rama V and Savang VadhanaHis Majesty King Bhumibol Adulyadej(Rama IX)5 December 1927Mount Auburn Hospital9 June 194613 October 2016()5 May 1950Queen Sirikit13 October 2016Siriraj Hospital(aged )Grandson of Rama V and Savang Vadhana His Majesty King Wachiraklao(Rama X)Vajiralongkorn28 July 1952Amphorn Sathan Residential Hall, Dusit Palace13 October 2016present()4 May 2019Queen SuthidaConsort SineenatLiving(age )Son of Rama IX and Sirikit
Timeline
Front Palaces