Thai actor's old ordination photos shared with false claim about hospitalised Thai princess

"Nadech has been ordained (as a monk) to wish Princess Bajrakitiyabha recovery. Please all help to convey good wishes to 'Princess Bha'. Please all rejoice in (Nadech's) merit," reads the false claim posted here on December 25.

The post -- published on a Facebook page with more than 48,000 followers -- was shared more than 2,000 times and received more than 24,000 likes.

It contains three photos: one showing Princess Bajrakitiyabha, and two of Nadech being ordained as a monk.

The caption's last sentence reads: "[You are] such a cold-hearted person, seeing this post but not wishing recovery to the Princess Bha."

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A screenshot of the false post, captured on December 25

The post circulated online after Princess Bajrakitiyabha Mahidol was hospitalised following her collapse on December 15 during a military dog training session at Nakhon Ratchasima, north of the capital Bangkok, AFP reported.

Known in Thailand as "Princess Bha", the 44-year-old is the eldest daughter of King Maha Vajiralongkorn and the only child from his first marriage.

A palace statement on December 19 said she remained in hospital receiving support for her heart, lungs and kidney. No further update has been issued since then.

Similar posts have also been shared here, here and here.

Comments from some social media users suggested they were misled by the claim.

One user said, "This is a good person the country needs."

Many others commented "best wishes with his good deed".

However, the claim in the posts is "false", a spokesperson for Nadech told AFP on December 26.

Old ordination images

Reverse image searches on Google found the photos of Nadech date back to 2015.

One of the images was published by English-language media outlet Coconuts Bangkok in a report on December 1, 2015.

It states that Nadech "became a monk in Udon Thani" at Wat Naluang, along with 809 other students.

The photo comparison below shows the photo shared in the false posts (left) and the photo published by Coconuts Bangkok (right):

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A keyword search found several news articles about Nadech's ordination in 2015.

At least three Thai media publications -- Thairath, MGR Online and Nine Entertainment -- reported on December 1, 2015 that the actor lived in a monastery for 15 days to study Buddhism.

There have been no official reports since then that he continued practising as a monk.

Kapook.com published the second photo of Nadech shared in the false posts on November 30, 2015.

Below is a screenshot comparison of the second image in the false posts (left) and the image published by Kapook.com (right):

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Nadech has not spoken publicly about Princess Bajrakitiyabha Mahidol's illness as of December 27, 2022.

In his most recent Instagram posts on December 25, he shared images and a video of himself celebrating Christmas with his family.