There is some evidence to suggest that Nofretete lost favor with her
husband and moved to a new palace in the northern sector of Akhetaton.
The king gave high honor to his eldest daughter Meritaton, whose
husband, Smenkhkare became his successor on the throne of Egypt. We have
no records indicating events in the earliest years of Smenkhkare's reign
but in the third year he is known to have gone to Thebes. The reason for
the visit can only be conjectured, but it may have been a gesture to
appease the Amon priesthood which was still firmly entrenched there.
Our sources fail us again, but neither Akhenaton nor Smenkhkare are
mentioned after _ca._ 1350 B.C. Whether they died natural deaths, or
perished at the hands of assassins, can only be guessed. We are not even
sure if Smenkhkare was co-regent with his father-in-law or if Akhenaton
had died before he came to the throne. At most Smenkhkare reigned but
four years. If his trip to Thebes was made to bring about a
reconciliation with the Theban priesthood, it seems to have failed
completely.