Exclusive: Thai Princes Banished Again, Eldest Says ‘I Did Nothing Wrong’

“Why the Vivacharawongse brothers were exiled and partially rehabilitated only to be excommunicated once again lies at the core of a succession crisis that is roiling Thailand’s royal household just as younger citizens are demanding reform of the institution. Although King Maha Vajiralongkorn has seven children, only three have royal titles, and none have been identified as heir. ‘If no one really understands what’s going on, it’s a source of instability, and it’s a source of doubts,’ says Paul Handley, a journalist and author of The King Never Smiles, an unofficial biography of King Bhumibol that has been banned in Thailand.”