From nurse and pilot, to Thailand’s first royal consort in almost a century, to a commoner – Sineenat Wongvajirapakdi is now back with her official titles reinstated. Almost a year ago, Sineenat was removed because of her “disloyalty” and “ambition” in challenging the status of Queen Suthida , King Vajiralongkorn’s fourth wife. Sineenat’s surprise return to the palace has put the spotlight on the Thai royal’s private life, especially since it was officially stated that her titles were never “stripped off”. Was Empress Dowager Cixi the original cosplayer – over a century ago? The news has drawn the attention of Chinese media, even earning Sineenat the nickname “Thai Zhen Huan” in reference to the hit Chinese drama Empresses in the Palace (The Legend of Zhen Huan) . View this post on Instagram She's back!! Finally, after 3 years away from the Palace, Zhen Huan returns in style, and as a consort no less! Listen to our episode to find out what happens! ---- Visit our website www.chasingdramas.com to vote for the next drama! --- #chasingdramas #empressesinthepalace #zhenhuanzhuan #甄嬛传 #drama #chinesedrama #chinese #cdrama #asiantv #chinesetv #asiandrama A post shared by Chasing Dramas (@chasingdramas) on Aug 25, 2020 at 6:46pm PDT In the show, Zhen was selected as a royal concubine by the Chinese emperor and empress dowager and began to live in the palace. However due to conflicts and power struggles between her and a higher ranked royal concubine, she was exiled to a dilapidated temple outside the Forbidden City. Eventually, Zhen worked her way back to the palace and regained her titles as well as the favour and fondness of the emperor. Sineenat’s return as the royal consort and Zhen’s comeback as a powerful royal concubine have amazing parallels, earning memes and the “Thai Zhen Huan” nickname from netizens and the press alike. 6 films adapted from Eileen Chang’s timeless novels Before Sineenat earned her title as a royal consort, photos of her with King Vajiralongkorn began to surface in 2016. She was spotted attending various royal events years before. Similar to how Zhen Huan won the affection of the Chinese emperor, Sineenat also captured the attention of King Vajiralongkorn, and she ascended in status to become royal consort. According to the Thai palace’s official statement, Sineenat was stripped of her titles because of the conflict she had with Queen Suthida. It was mentioned that she had attempted to “stop the appointment of the queen” and desired the title for herself instead. However, the irony present is that Sineenat was initially given the position in an attempt by King Vajiralongkorn to alleviate the tension between the two figures. View this post on Instagram “修成玉颜色，卖与帝王家。”｜ 她爱你时你念菀菀类卿，她弃你后你才发觉嬛嬛就是嬛嬛。 · · · · · · · · · · · · · · #empressesinthepalace #empress #甄嬛传 #zhenhuan #孙俪 #videoedits #chinesedrama #forbiddencity #beijing #故宫 #palacemuseum #qingdynasty #ancient #ancientchina #tvseries #tvserie #chinesetvseries #ancienthistory #ancientcity #actress #chineseactress #chineseactor A post shared by . (@zarci_pr) on Jul 14, 2020 at 6:08am PDT Meanwhile in the drama series power struggles and rivalries are clearly seen between the empress and Zhen. In the fictional version, the empress plotted to get rid of her rival, but Zhen eventually outwitted the empress and regained the trust of the emperor and power. How Qing dynasty royals entertained themselves while in permanent lockdown While no one knows for sure what has led to Sineenat’s reinstatement as the royal consort, her return has certainly sparked a note of recognition among Zhen Huan’s many avid fans. Want more stories like this? Sign up here . Follow STYLE on Facebook , Instagram , YouTube and Twitter .