Chakri dynasty

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. 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 Chao Mae Wat Dusit, said to be a daughter of King Ekathotsarot and the wet nurse of Phetracha and Prince Narai, both future kings of Siam. 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 (Thai: ราชสกุลมหิดล; RTGS: Ratchasakun Mahidon), 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 Chanthaburi's 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)