His Majesty the King’s third son, Dr. Chakriwat Vivacharawongse, is currently in Bangkok to join his elder brother, Vacharaesorn, who has decided to extend his stay in Thailand.

According to a Facebook post by Wassana Nanuam, a senior reporter at the Bangkok Post, this is the first time that the two brothers have been in Thailand after 27 years of living abroad.

Dr. Chakriwat has long desired to visit Thailand, to pay respects to his great grandmother, the late Princess Mother Srinagarindra, for being his inspiration to study medicine in order to help the poor, and to pay respects to his grandfather, the late King Bhumibol Adulyadej.

According to Wassana’s post, the two brothers visited Ayutthaya province yesterday (Saturday) and today they went to Siriraj Hospital to pay their respects to the statues of Prince Mahidol and the late King Bhumibol Adulyadej.

Chakriwat and Vacharaesorn, two of four sons born to HM the King and his former consort Sujarinee, will return to the United States together.

According to the Chakriwat Medical Information Centre, Chakriwat wrote that his desire to become a physician grew out of his own personal experience as a patient. When he was a teenager, he noticed a lump on the side of his neck and his doctor had it removed and biopsied. He was subsequently diagnosed with Type II Neurofibromatosis. The lifelong course of treatment has included multiple surgeries and repeated radiotherapy.

He wrote that as he researched his condition, to understand what was happening to his body, his desire to enter the medical profession grew.

“My condition became a motivating factor in my life and served as the foundation for an enthusiastic pursuit of a career in medicine,” he wrote.