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, 40, has long been rumoured to be romantically linked with Vajiralongkorn 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.
The 66-year-old king ascended the throne when his late father, king Bhumibol Adulyadej, died in 2016 after seven decades on the throne. His much-delayed coronation is due to be held on Saturday.
Vajiralongkorn attributed the reason for the initial delay of his coronation to the mourning for his late father, who was deeply revered as a father figure and moral authority, but has never given a reason for the continued delay, nor had he named the date until the beginning of this year.
Vajiralongkorn is the world's richest monarch according to business news website Business Insider, having last year taken full ownership of the Crown Property Bureau, which is estimated to have at least $US30 billion worth of holdings.
