Air Chief Marshal Foo Foo, the pet poodle of Thailand’s crown prince, has been cremated after four days of Buddhist funeral rites, prompting a surge of coded social media comments in the troubled kingdom, where it is illegal to openly discuss the looming royal succession.

Thailand has been engulfed by chronic political turmoil since 2005, due partly to an unacknowledged conflict among the elite over who will become monarch when the ailing 87-year-old King Bhumibol Adulyadej dies.

Although Crown Prince Maha Vajiralongkorn is the official heir, he is unpopular and has been embroiled in several scandals. Many Thais would prefer his younger sister, Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn, to inherit the throne, but palace law does not allow a female monarch.