AFP, BANGKOK: A senior Thai palace aide who served the now disgraced ex-wife of the Crown Prince was arrested yesterday under the country's controversial lese majeste law, part of an ongoing probe that has decimated the former princess's family. Montri Sotangkul, 53, was a member of the household staff of Princess Srirasmi, Crown Prince Maha Vajiralongkorn's former wife. He is accused of defaming Thailand's monarchy by improperly using his royal connections for financial gain. He is the latest ally of the disgraced princess to be arrested in a rare public airing of palace intrigue that has seen at least eight of Srirasmi's direct relatives jailed including her elderly parents.