‘Secret’ NY wife of Thai royal spotted for first time since estranged heir apparent’s fight for throne revealed
The American wife of estranged Thai royalty was spotted leaving her New York home with their daughters as her husband faces losing the throne due to their marriage.
Elisa Garafano cut an elegant figure Tuesday as she was seen leaving her brick house in Mount Vernon in sunglasses and a tan coat with a black top and black pants underneath while carrying a cup of coffee to fend off the dreary weather.
Her young daughters were in tow as the mom of two also carried a few large trash bags behind them.
The sighting came just days after it was revealed that she and her husband, Vacharaesorn Vivacharawongse — Thai King Maha Vajiralongkorn’s long-estranged son — were planning to divorce so the door of succession would open again.
However, Vivacharawongse, 42, has allegedly privately pledged his loyalty to his small family, according to the Daily Beast, and the couple have called off their divorce.
Garafano reportedly wants her children to be recognized as royalty, but her husband has allegedly been telling people they’re divorced.
“He very much wants to keep that fact, and the fact of their children, secret because of the impact it would have on his ambition to win the throne,” a source told the Daily Beast.
A second source told the outlet that “Vach and Elisa were openly married for years, but since he started competing for the throne, he began trying to keep it hidden, and has told people he is now divorced, even in public comments on social media.”
A source confirmed to the publication that the pair are still legally married.
Thailand’s law of succession dictates that descendants of the royal family “shall be excluded from the line of succession” if they are “married to a foreign consort.”
Vivacharawongse is one of four sons born to the king and former actress Sujarinee Vivacharawongse. The couple divorced in 1996 and she moved abroad with her children.
Vivacharawongse’s father ascended the throne in 2016 at the age of 64, and his youngest daughter was given the title of Princess Sirivannavari Nariratana.
The king’s four sons remained estranged from the family and do not have titles.
Vivacharawongse returned to Thailand last year, for the first time in 27 years, as the royal family’s urgency to secure succession plans grows.
