Succession to the Thai throne
The Thai Royal Succession is the arrangement of the names of the royal family and individuals in the line of succession to the throne of the Kingdom of Thailand. The succession to the throne is stipulated by the 1924 Palace Law of Succession and, after the Revolution in 1932, has been endorsed by every version of the Constitution of Thailand.
Previously, in the early Rattanakosin Kingdom, in cases where the King did not establish the Krom Phra Ratchawang Bowon Sathan Mongkhon, the royal succession system called "Anekchonnikorn Samosorn Sommut" was used, which was the resolution of a joint meeting of ministerial officials and high-ranking royal family members to select a member of the royal family who was suitable in terms of age and qualifications to ascend to the throne as the new King. Before it was abolished during the reign of King Chulalongkorn in 1886 and the position was changed to the position of Crown Prince.{{cite journal|date=12 June 2024|title=“อเนกชนนิกรสโมสรสมมติ” คติสืบสันตติวงศ์กรุงรัตนโกสินทร์ คืออะไร มีกษัตริย์องค์ใดบ้าง?|trans-title=What is the “Anekchonnikorn Samosorn Sommut” concept of the Rattanakosin Dynasty succession Which kings were there?|URL=https://www.silpa-mag.com/history/article_133877|journal=ศิลปวัฒนธรรม|publisher=|access-date=13 August 2024}} And since 1924, King Vajiravudh has enacted the Palace Law of Succession to certify the above-mentioned Crown Prince positions and to clearly lay down the entire line of succession to the throne.
Rights
The right to succession to the throne is in accordance with the 1924 Palace Law of Succession, which arranges the order of succession according to the rights of the eldest royal son, the status of the mother, and emphasizes only males.
A person will be in this line of succession only if all of the following conditions are met:
- Accepted by the Thai people and the Royal Family (Article 10)
- There is not even one of the following prohibited characteristics (Article 11):
- The mind is delusional
- Must be imprisoned in a serious crime case
- Unable to be the supreme patron of Buddhism
- Having a foreign consort{{cite web|last=อนันทนาธร|first=กษิดิศ|date=4 August 2020|title=การสืบราชสันตติวงศ์โดยราชสกุล “มหิดล”|trans-title=Succession to the throne by the Mahidol royal family|URL=https://www.the101.world/mahidol-king/|url-status=live|access-date=13 August 2024|publisher=101.world}}
- Removed from the position of Crown Prince no matter in which reign
- Was declared excluded from the royal succession line (For example, having a mother who is a commoner)
- Not being a direct son of a royal family member who has prohibited characteristics according to Article 11 (Article 12)
- Not a royal woman, meaning a female member of the royal family or a female member of the royal family (Article 13; however, this provision conflicts with the Constitution of Thailand from 1974 to the present, which states that in the event that there is no royal son, the parliament can give its approval for a royal daughter to succeed to the throne).{{Cite news|date=21 December 2016|title=กฎมนเทียรบาล โดย สมหมาย จันทร์เรือง|trans-title=The Palace Law by Sommai Chanruang|work=Matichon|url=https://www.matichon.co.th/columnists/news_400079|url-status=live|access-date=13 August 2024}}
Lines of succession
The Palace Law specifies those who have the right to the throne as follows:
- Article 5 states that the King has the exclusive right to appoint a heir apparent to the throne (in Thailand, the position of Crown Prince of Thailand)
- Article 6 provides that if the King dies after appointing a heir apparent to the throne, that heir may immediately ascend to the throne
- Article 8 states that if the King dies before the appointment of a heir apparent, the Chancellor shall invite the royal family member who is the number one heir presumptive in line for the throne according to the order of succession as specified in Article 9 (except for those who have the prohibited characteristics according to Article 11 and 12) to ascend to the throne
In the Constitution of Thailand (in this case, the current version, which is the 2017 version), the succession to the throne after the throne is vacant is specified in Article 21 in both cases, in 2 paragraphs, as follows:
- Paragraph One: If the King has already appointed a heir apparent to the throne, the cabinet shall inform the President of the National Assembly to convene a meeting of the National Assembly to acknowledge the appointment of the aforementioned heir to the throne before invitation the heir to ascend to the throne. When the Crown Prince accepts, the President of the National Assembly shall announce it to the public.
- Paragraph Two: If the King has not appointed an heir apparent to the Throne, the Privy Council shall propose the name of the heir presumption in accordance with Article 8 of the Palace Law (through Article 20 of the Constitution, which indirectly stipulates the use of the order of the Palace Law), which is called "the Successor to the Throne", through the cabinet , for the parliament to approve, which may also propose the name of a princess. If approved, the President of the National Assembly shall present the invitation for the successor to the throne. When the successor to the throne has accepted, the President of the National Assembly shall announce it to the public.