Latest royal intelligence — Thailand's Queen Sirikit suffered a severe stroke on July 21 and was unconscious for several days afterwards. This has profoundly impacted the royal succession struggle in Thailand. Royalists who rallied around Sirikit as their best hope of preventing the succession of Crown Prince Vajiralongkorn are realising that she may no longer be a credible candidate to reign as regent on behalf of Prince Dipangkorn Rasmijoti. Nobody knows how long Bhumibol and Sirikit will survive, but those jockeying for position in the succession game have to adopt strategies that assume the deaths could be imminent. When Bhumibol dies, the privy council will suddenly become extremely important (and powerful) given its role as the body that manages the succession. Prem's position as head of the council gives him plenty of power to try to deny Vajiralongkorn the throne: the two men hate and fear each other, and Prem was behind the 2007 smear campaign of the prince and Srirasmi. Bhumibol and Prem are no longer close, and the king may appoint his niece Thanpuying Dhasanawalaya Sornsongkram as the first ever female privy councilor, to manage the succession after his death in line with his wishes.