This article is more than 1 year old

This article is more than 1 year old

Thailand’s palace has released rare images and a biography of the king’s newly anointed royal consort, including candid and action-packed photos of her aiming a weapon on a firing range, piloting a plane and preparing to parachute.

King Maha Vajiralongkorn bestowed the rank of “Chao Khun Phra”, or noble consort, on the 34-year-old former army nurse Sineenat Wongvajirapakdi on his 67th birthday in July.

Facebook Twitter Pinterest Sineenat Wongvajirapakdi pictured taking part in the royal cremation ceremony of Thailand’s late king Bhumibol Adulyadej in Bangkok in 2017. Photograph: Damir Šagolj/Reuters

She is the first woman to receive the noble rank in nearly a century. The publication of the more than 60 photos and a 46-page biography was dated last week, but did not start circulating online until Monday.

“The king has ordered the creation of a royal biography for Chao Khun Phra Sineenat Bilaskalayani,” a statement from the royal office said, using her full title.

Facebook Twitter Pinterest Sineenat Wongvajirapakdi at a firing range. Photograph: AFP/Getty Images

The images and details provide an unusually intimate glimpse into the private lives of the powerful, ultra-wealthy monarchy, which is protected by a royal insult law that carries a maximum sentence of 15 years in prison per count.

They show Sineenat in camouflage fatigues, taking part in military drills, flying a small plane, and laughing at a table with the king, with both wearing casual clothes.

In one of the photos she is shown in traditional Thai dress standing next to Vajiralongkorn and holding his hand.

Born in the northern province of Nan, she graduated from the Royal Thai army nursing college, trained as a pilot in Thailand and abroad, and served in the king’s royal bodyguard unit, reaching the rank of major general in May.

Facebook Twitter Pinterest Thailand’s King Maha Vajiralongkorn with royal noble consort Sineenat Wongvajirapakdi. Photograph: AFP/Getty Images

A cycling and aviation enthusiast who spends much of his time abroad in Germany, Vajiralongkorn was crowned in May in an elaborate three-day ceremony in which Sineenat participated.

The ceremony took place days after a surprise announcement that Vajiralongkorn had married Queen Suthida Vajiralongkorn na Ayudhya, a former flight attendant and deputy commander of the monarch’s security detail.

Suthida is the fourth wife of the monarch, who has a teenage son from his third marriage and six other children.

Facebook Twitter Pinterest King Maha Vajiralongkorn (left) with royal noble consort Sineenat Wongvajirapakdi. Photograph: HANDOUT/AFP/Getty Images

The king is not as well-known to the public as his father, Bhumibol Adulyadej, who died in 2016. In the run-up to his coronation, billboards and government offices were peppered with large imposing portraits of him.