Crown Prince Vajiralongkorn has completed his ascension to the throne as King Rama X of Thailand. He will be known officially as His Majesty King Maha Vajiralongkorn Bodindradebayavarangkun. The full name of the King in Pali means “Vajiralongkorn Descended by Flesh and Blood of God Indra, Overlord of all Angels”, but the Thai people will mostly refer to him as King Rama X.
“I accept the invitation to fulfill the wish of His Majesty the Late King and for the benefit of all Thai people,” said His Majesty the King during the audience.
The new King led the Buddhist rites marking the 50th day since his father’s death today at the Grand Palace which will continue through Friday.
Surprisingly, the ascension of the new King was made retroactive to 13 October 2016, the day of his father’s death. The then Crown Prince had asked for his ascension to be postponed to give him time to mourn. His father, Bhumibol Adulyadej, died at the age of 88 after long year of ill health. The Crown Prince has a reputation of being a playboy and he has divorced three wives. He has a total of seven children, some of whom were stripped of their titles after the divorce from their mother. The Crown Prince spent much of his time away from Thailand. He owns property in southern Germany and he returned there shortly after the death of his father. He only returned to Thailand earlier today.
The government has declared a full year of mourning for the late King and the people of Thailand have been paying their respects at the Grand Palace in Bangkok. His body will eventually be cremated, although the elaborate pyre is not expected to be completed for several months. The coronation of the new King will only take place after the cremation.
His sister would have been a better option for Thailand.