Thailand's Crown Prince Vajiralongkorn has directed the government to strip his wife's family of their royally bestowed name after seven of her close relatives were held in a purge of officials allegedly involved in corruption, BBC reported Saturday.
Princess Srirasmi Akrapongpreecha is Crown Prince Vajiralongkorn's third wife, and the pair married in 2001, .
The move is widely expected to be a first step to divorce.
The princess's uncle, a senior police general, was arrested over accusations of amassing vast wealth from smuggling and gambling rackets. Four of her siblings and two other relatives have also been held.
The office of Crown Prince Vajiralongkorn has now sent a letter to the interior ministry ordering her family to be stripped of the royal name he bestowed on them after marrying her.