Son of world's richest monarch pleads to come home for emergency brain surgery

Dr. Chakriwat Vivacharawongse, the estranged third son of Thai King Maha Vajiralongkorn, is appealing to return home from Malaysia for emergency surgery on two large brain tumors.

In a video posted on his Facebook page on Sept. 21, Chakriwat, known in Thailand as "Than Aong," said he had suffered a seizure and had weakness in his arms and legs, the Bangkok Post reported. He said he could not afford the operation in Malaysia or the U.S.

The 43-year-old physician said he wanted to be treated at home "because Thai doctors are highly capable."

On Sept. 18, he said several neurologists had warned that delaying treatment could leave him bedridden or dead, Thai news site Thaiger reported.

No hospital or treating doctor has publicly confirmed his diagnosis or a surgical plan, the site noted.

In a video posted the same day as his appeal, his brothers Vacharaesorn, Juthavachara and Vatchrawee said they were alarmed by images of his condition, Thai news portal Kapook reported.

They said they did not know where he was but would help whenever he got in touch.

Chakriwat Vivacharawongse, Thailand's King Maha Vajiralongkorn's son, arrives at Bangkok's Suvarnabhumi international airport as he heads back to the United States after a surprise visit to the kingdom after living abroad for 27 years, Thailand, Aug. 14, 2023. Photo by Reuters

In a Sept. 2 Facebook post, Chakriwat said he had cut ties with the Vivacharawongse side of his family years ago, the Bangkok-based Thai Post reported.

In the same post, he said he had never received any donations collected in his name for his treatment. He has urged the public to verify fundraising appeals through his official social media accounts.

Chakriwat and his three brothers are sons of the king's second wife, Sujarinee Vivacharawongse. After the then-crown prince divorced her in 1996, he stripped her and their sons of their titles and barred them from returning to Thailand, Time magazine reported. The magazine describes the king as the world's wealthiest monarch, with a fortune estimated at about US$60 billion.

Chakriwat and Vacharaesorn made their first visits home in 27 years in August 2023, Reuters reported.

Chakriwat, who studied medicine in the U.S., has neurofibromatosis type 2, a rare genetic disorder that causes usually benign tumors to grow along nerves, including in the brain and spinal cord.

He has lived with the condition since he was about 13 and had undergone 10 open operations by 2015, Thaiger reported.