Crown Prince Maha Vajiralongkorn was proclaimed king of Thailand late Thursday, in a statement read on all television channels, ascending the throne 50 days after his father’s death.
“I agree to accept the wishes of the late king ... for the benefit of the entire Thai people,” he said, after being invited to take the throne by the head of junta-appointed parliament.
Vajiralongkorn, 64, who inherits one of the world’s richest monarchies as well as a politically troubled nation, ascends the throne 50 days after King Bhumibol Adulyadej’s death.
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The new monarch, received the title “His Majesty King Maha Vajiralongkorn Bodindradebayavarangkun”.
He will be named Rama X of Thailand’s Chakri dynasty, but will not formally be crowned until after his father’s cremation, which is expected next year.
Thailand's Crown Prince Maha Vajiralongkorn. Photo: AP
In this image made from video, Thailand's Crown Prince Maha Vajiralongkorn, kneels under a portrait of his late father at the Grand Palace in Bangkok, Thailand. Photo: AP
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Thailand's Crown Prince Maha Vajiralongkorn participates in a Buddhist ceremony to mark 50 days since the death of his father at the Grand Palace in Bangkok. Photo: AP
Crown Prince Maha Vajiralongkorn (right) with his father, the late-King Bhumibol Adulyadej in 2012. Vajiralongkorn will be named Rama X of Thailand’s Chakri dynasty, but will not formally be crowned until after his father’s cremation, which is expected next year. File photo: Reuters
Thai people light candles showing Thai script numbers representing the late Thai King Bhumibol Adulyadej (L) and the future king at a park in Bangkok on Wednesday. Photo: AFP
Bhumibol’s reign, which ended on October 13, spanned seven turmoil-laden decades, pockmarked by a communist insurgency, coups and street protests.
