Old photo of Thai king cooking taken during Covid-19 pandemic, not after flooding in September 2024

An old photo of Thailand's King Maha Vajiralongkorn cooking during the Covid-19 pandemic has surfaced in social media posts that falsely claimed it showed the royal preparing food for victims of severe flooding triggered by Typhoon Yagi in September 2024. In fact, the photo was released by the Royal Office in June 2021 and features the king and royal noble consort Sineenat Bilaskalayani in Bangkok, rather than the flood-hit Chiang Rai in the north.

"He didn't need to be covered by media or anyone to welcome him officially. He flew a helicopter himself to Mae Sai district and went to the kitchen to cook meals with his own fortune. He is a true giver and truly cares about the Thai people," read a Thai-language Facebook post on September 13, 2024.

Mae Sai district is the northernmost district in Thailand's Chiang Rai province, bordering Myanmar. Along with Vietnam, the Southeast Asian neighbours have been hit with severe floods after Typhoon Yagi barrelled through the region and left more than 500 people dead (archived link).

The floods in Chiang Rai were the worst it had seen in 80 years.

The attached photo of King Vajiralongkorn and royal noble consort Sineenat cooking over a pan has accumulated over 62,000 likes and 5,300 shares since it was posted.