A New King of Thailand
December 2, 2016
Yesterday, December 1, Maha Vajiralongkorn was proclaimed king of Thailand. Maha, who is now also known as King Rama X, succeeded his father, Bhumibol Adulyadej. Bhumibol, who was known as King Rama IX, was Thailand’s king from 1946 until his death on Oct. 13, 2016. Although Maha has been proclaimed king, his coronation will not be held until after Bhumibol’s cremation, which is expected in 2017.
Thailand’s Crown Prince Maha Vajiralongkorn took the throne as King Rama X in Bangkok, Thailand, on Dec. 1, 2016. Credit: © Chaiwat Subprasom, Reuters
Maha, who was born in 1952, has lived much of his life out of public view. He attended school in Thailand and the United Kingdom before graduating from the Royal Military College in Australia. He served as a pilot in the Thai army during the 1970’s. Beyond that, much of Maha’s life is a mystery to the rest of the world. Thailand has strict laws on what the media can publish about the country’s royal family. Any information that could be deemed derogatory or potentially embarrassing is explicitly banned from publication. It is known that Maha has been married three times and has several children. He is believed to have spent much of the past few decades in Europe.
Maha is the latest monarch of Thailand’s Chakri dynasty (line of rulers), which has controlled the throne since a nobleman named Chaophraya Chakri became King Rama I in 1782.
