The king of Thailand is regarded as one of the wealthiest monarchs in the world. His seriously ill son, however, now lies in neighboring Malaysia, where doctors have told him he may die without urgent surgery he says he cannot afford. The son, Chakriwat, is one of four princes banished from Thailand as boys, stripped of their royal titles and raised in the United States. For decades they studied, worked and hoped to one day return home.
But Chakriwat’s path proved harder than most. Since around the age of thirteen he has lived with a condition that produces tumors in his body again and again. Hospitals, scans and operations became a routine part of his teenage years, and it was that experience that led him to study medicine. Despite ongoing treatment, surgeries and hearing problems, he earned a medical degree and became a doctor himself.
Then came the moment the family had awaited for decades. In 2023 Chakriwat arrived in Thailand with his brother Vacharaesorn. It was the princes’ first return to their homeland in twenty-seven years, and many observers saw it as a possible beginning of reconciliation. The brothers visited temples and landmarks connected to the royal family, went to a hospital and paid respects to their ancestors.
Their appearance generated enormous public interest. But instead of the long-awaited family reunion, a rift emerged among the brothers themselves. That summer, Chakriwat posted photos from Malaysia’s capital showing him with his girlfriend Nuch and her family. He thanked them for their support and wrote that with them he did not feel alone.
It turned out he had not come to Malaysia by chance. He was already trying to find a way back to Thailand for treatment, but his condition began deteriorating quickly. Soon he showed just how serious things had become. In one video he posted, he became disoriented during an episode and initially did not understand what was happening.
Nuch was beside him, speaking to him, trying to keep him conscious and calling for a doctor. Chakriwat spoke of severe weakness in his arms and legs, of the episodes, and of moments when he could no longer stand on his own. Doctors found two large brain tumors, and he later ended up in intensive care with brain swelling and difficulty speaking and eating. According to Chakriwat, several doctors warned him that without urgent intervention he could become completely unable to move, or die.
For a man who had lived with the disease for more than thirty years and undergone many operations, the situation had become truly critical. But where were his mother and brothers during all this? It emerged that Chakriwat had not been in contact with them for several years. From the outside, the four exiled princes had always appeared to be a close family supporting one another.
After he was hospitalized, however, Chakriwat publicly admitted he had no relationship with his family at all. According to him, after the separation he still tried to write to his relatives and sent messages, but received no replies. Later he shared another troubling detail. He claimed he had been sent a document to sign stating that if something happened to him or he became disabled, the family would not be responsible for him.
He did not fully explain what had led to such a division, but he stated clearly that disagreements had been building for a long time. Chakriwat said he did not agree with some of his relatives’ actions. Discussions in Thailand raised the theory that one reason may have been the brothers’ behavior after their return to the country. Chakriwat himself believed they should live quietly, as ordinary citizens, avoid attracting unnecessary attention and not create the impression that they had once again become part of the royal court.
After Chakriwat spoke publicly about his sharply declining health, his three brothers recorded a message. They said they were worried about him and wanted to help. At the same time, they admitted they did not even know exactly where he was or how his treatment was proceeding. According to them, their mother was also very concerned and had tried to find specialists for him in the United States.
While the brothers recorded messages saying they wanted to help, his girlfriend stayed with Chakriwat in the hospital. Her name is Nuch Naovaket. She is a Thai designer who studied in New York and has worked in the fashion industry for many years. It is she who sits by his bed, talks to him and remains with him in the hardest moments, and her family supported him even before he entered the hospital.
But illness was not his only problem. Chakriwat also began speaking openly about money. He said his American health insurance no longer covered the treatment he needed, and that surgery in the United States or Malaysia was very expensive. According to him, his own funds were running out.
Chakriwat began publicly asking for help to return to Thailand for treatment. He wanted to have the operation at home because he trusted Thai doctors and hoped to see specialists who already knew his complicated medical history. But for the king’s sons, returning to the country had not been an easy matter for a long time. A year earlier, his brothers had tried to enter Thailand from the Malaysian side but were not allowed across the border after checks.
In his appeals, Chakriwat specifically asked people not to look for political meaning in what was happening and not to connect his illness with disputes around the monarchy. He spoke about his health, his need for urgent surgery and his wish to go home. How did his father, the king of Thailand, respond? There was no public reaction from the king or the palace.
There were no announcements that the royal family planned to arrange Chakriwat’s return or help with his treatment. The king of Thailand is one of the richest monarchs in the world, while his son publicly states that his money for treatment is running out. Thousands of people in the comments ask the same question: does his father know how seriously ill his son is, and what is happening to him now? Against this backdrop, it is hard not to recall the story of Malaysia’s current king.
Sultan Ibrahim himself lived through the serious illness of his own child: eleven years ago, his twenty-five-year-old son died of cancer. Throughout the illness, the father stayed beside him and took his son’s death very hard. Now the son of another king is fighting for his life in Malaysia, but the relationships in his family are very different. In the end, Chakriwat decided not to wait any longer to return home.
On October 5 he announced he had contacted his former American surgeon and requested records from an earlier operation that the doctors in Malaysia needed. By that time, the medical team for the new surgery had already been assembled, and Chakriwat wrote that the operation would take place soon. But this story is still far from over. The surgery and recovery still lie ahead, and the question of his return home remains open.
And beside him now is his girlfriend, the person who did not disappear when things became especially difficult for him.