Why Chinese media named Thailand’s reinstated royal consort Sineenat Wongvajirapak ‘Thai Zhen Huan’?

Originally published on SCMP

From nurse and pilot, to Thailand’s first royal consort in almost a century, to a

commoner – Sineenat Wongvajirapakdi is now back with her official titles reinstated.

Almost a year ago, Sineenat was removed because of her “disloyalty” and “ambition”

in challenging the status of Queen Suthida, King Vajiralongkorn’s fourth wife.

Sineenat’s surprise return to the palace has put the spotlight on the Thai royal’s

private life, especially since it was officially stated that her titles were never “stripped

off”.

The news has drawn the attention of Chinese media, even earning Sineenat the

nickname “Thai Zhen Huan” in reference to the hit Chinese drama Empresses in the

Palace (The Legend of Zhen Huan) .

In the show, Zhen was selected as a royal concubine by the Chinese emperor and

empress dowager and began to live in the palace. However due to conflicts and power

struggles between her and a higher ranked royal concubine, she was exiled to a

dilapidated temple outside the Forbidden City. Eventually, Zhen worked her way back

to the palace and regained her titles as well as the favour and fondness of the emperor.

Sineenat’s return as the royal consort and Zhen’s comeback as a powerful royal

concubine have amazing parallels, earning memes and the “Thai Zhen Huan”

nickname from netizens and the press alike.

Before Sineenat earned her title as a royal consort, photos of her with King

Vajiralongkorn began to surface in 2016. She was spotted attending various royal

events years before. Similar to how Zhen Huan won the affection of the Chinese

emperor, Sineenat also captured the attention of King Vajiralongkorn, and she

ascended in status to become royal consort.

According to the Thai palace’s official statement, Sineenat was stripped of her titles

because of the conflict she had with Queen Suthida. It was mentioned that she had

attempted to “stop the appointment of the queen” and desired the title for herself

instead. However, the irony present is that Sineenat was initially given the position in

an attempt by King Vajiralongkorn to alleviate the tension between the two figures.

Meanwhile in the drama series power struggles and rivalries are clearly seen between

the empress and Zhen. In the fictional version, the empress plotted to get rid of her

rival, but Zhen eventually outwitted the empress and regained the trust of the

emperor and power.

While no one knows for sure what has led to Sineenat’s reinstatement as the royal

consort, her return has certainly sparked a note of recognition among Zhen Huan’s

many avid fans.