Here’s a look at some of the world’s messy monarchies

The British Aren’t the Only Ones With Royal Drama

Dysfunction and disorder are hardly restricted to the House of Windsor. Here’s a look at some of the world’s other messy monarchies.

It is fair to say the world knows a great deal more about the Duke of Sussex’ penis than it did a month ago, not to mention novel uses for Elizabeth Arden cream.

Since the death of Queen Elizabeth II and the accession of King Charles III in September, the Firm — as the British royal family is unofficially known — hasn’t just been grappling with a major management reshuffle. In a Netflix series and his splashy new memoir, Prince Harry has been lobbing a near constant stream of bombshell revelations into the public domain, airing intimate personal details as well as allegations of treachery and familial betrayal afoot behind palace doors in the House of Windsor.

But Britain doesn’t have a monopoly on royal dirty laundry. Behold, four other messy monarchies that have also been engaged lately with dysfunction, disorder and high drama of their own.

Thailand

Years before he became the king of Thailand, Vajiralongkorn gave a pet poodle the military rank of air chief marshal.Credit...Athit Perawongmetha/Reuters

King Maha Vajiralongkorn of Thailand is not a conventional ruler, at least by contemporary standards. The king, who was officially crowned in 2019, two and a half years after acceding to the throne upon his father’s death, has been married four times and has publicly courted untold mistresses. When he was crown prince, he appointed his pet poodle Foo Foo to the role of air chief marshal and held four days of Buddhist funeral rites when the poodle died in 2015, according to The Guardian. Then there is the 70-year-old king’s fondness for wearing crop tops and transfer tattoos, which he has worn on numerous promenades during the pandemic in Germany, where he spends most of his time.

Belly-baring vests have become the garment of choice for many young Thai pro-democracy protesters at rallies in recent years. Their demands include limiting the powers of a king who has become the richest monarch in the world, partly by amassing personal control of an estimated $43 billion in royal assets in 2018 that were historically overseen by an agency meant to manage the money for the benefit of the Thai people.

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Norway
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Souce: NY Times
Jan. 16, 2023