The estranged son of Thailand's King Maha Vajiralongkorn has appealed for help to return to the country for urgent brain surgery that could save his life.
Chakriwat Vivacharawongse, the third son of the Thai king, posted a video on Facebook on Monday night saying he required surgery for brain tumours.
In the video, which appears to have been shot from a hospital, he said: "I want to return to Thailand for treatment because Thai doctors are highly capable."
Dr Chakriwat is a 43-year-old physician and is currently undergoing treatment in Malaysia.
He said he did not have enough money to pay for the surgery in the US or Malaysia. Dr Chakriwat added that he feared he could die if he did not receive proper treatment in time.
"My health current situation... no operation yet, I am scared," he wrote in the caption of the video post.
He added that the main purpose of the video was to seek assistance in returning to Thailand.
His brothers have offered assistance but there has been no intervention from the Thai royal household despite Dr Chakriwat sharing updates on his failing health condition publicly, according to the Thai Examiner.
It was not immediately clear what prevented him from returning to Thailand without assistance, whether it be legal challenges or his health condition.
Dr Chakriwat is one of the four sons that King Maha Vajiralongkorn had with his second wife, Sujarinee Vivacharawongse, a former actress.
In 1996, the then-crown prince divorced Sujarinee, who moved to the US with her children. Their youngest daughter was taken back by the royal family and given the title Princess Sirivannavari Nariratana, but the four sons remain estranged and do not have any formal royal titles.
King Vajiralongkorn has married four times and has seven children, but has not named an official heir.
Dr Chakriwat on 6 September shared that he was unwell but remained determined to recover.
“Right now I’m not well, but I’m trying my best,” he wrote in his Facebook post, withholding details of his illness.
On 18 September, he said his health was "truly in a terrible condition, and I am at risk of becoming bedridden or facing death" and needed urgent brain surgery. He has warned the public from collecting donations in his name without prior verification.
Dr Chakriwat has been living with neurofibromatosis type 2 since he was 13. The genetic condition, also known as NF2-related schwannomatosis, causes tumour growth along nerves and inside the brain and spinal cord.
Tumours from NF2 are generally non-cancerous, but the size and area of the growth can still cause serious problems by pressing on the brain and nerves.
Dr Chakriwat reportedly underwent 10 surgeries and several Gamma Knife and CyberKnife radiation procedures by 2015. Five years later, when he was admitted to a hospital in New York, he received no support from his father or the royal family, the Daily Mail reported.
The four siblings have long expressed their desire to return to Thailand.
In August 2023, Dr Chakriwat and his brother, Vacharaesorn, returned to Thailand for the first time in 27 years.
“It was a week that flew by so quickly. There were so many things we wanted to do and see in Thailand, but we didn’t have much time. We received so much love and warmth from everyone we met,” Mr Vacharaesorn said at the time.
Princess Bajrakitiyabha Mahidol, the eldest child of King Vajiralongkorn, died in June after more than three years in a coma.
The Independent has reached out to Thailand’s foreign ministry for comment.
