Rainy day: Thai residents mourn the death of their king

Saddened residents of Thailand mourn for their beloved King Bhumibol Adulyadej, who died on October 13 at the age of 88. At the same time, his son and heir to the throne, Maha Vachiralongkorn, known for his scandalous love affairs, suddenly asked that his coronation be postponed.

(20 photos in total)

Source: Daily Mail

The King of Thailand was the longest-ruling of the living monarchs: he was on the throne for 70 years and won the great respect of his people. After the news of his death, Thais took to the streets and did not hide their tears of grief for their king. Some gathered on the site in front of the hospital where Bhumibol was lying and shouted: "Long live the king!" — perhaps in the hope that he will hear them and rise again.

The focus is now on the heir to the throne, as the prince has asked the country's prime minister to postpone the coronation. National TV channels interrupted their program to broadcast photos from the coronation of the late king in 1946, from parades with his participation and from meetings with the needy. Representatives of the authorities reported that the mourning for Bhumibol Adulyadej will last a year and within the next 30 days all entertainment programs will be reduced.

Thai Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-Ocha told reporters during a press conference: "I had the highest audience with the Crown Prince (Mahi Vachiralongkorn), and he asked to give him time to prepare before he is proclaimed the new king. According to him, he is now the undisputed heir. But he needs time to grieve with the people of Thailand."

The postponement of the coronation looks alarming, given the reputation of the Crown Prince, which, according to many, can undermine respect for the Thai monarchy. The 64-year-old heir to the throne has been married three times, and all three marriages ended in divorce. For a long time there were rumors about his mistresses and violent temper. His last marriage to Srirasmi Akharaphongprich, with whom he has a son, Prince Deepangkorn Rasmichoti, broke up in 2014. The prince's ex-wife and her relatives were stripped of all their titles, as they were involved in corruption scandals.

A few months earlier, during the military coup in Thailand in 2014, a video appeared in which the prince and his wife had a party at the royal palace in honor of their dog Fu-Fu. Srirasmi crawled on the floor in her thong and fed the dog a cake, and then they sang happy birthday to the animal together. Earlier, the former US ambassador to Bangkok said that Princess Srirasmi told him during one of the dinner parties that Fu-Fu had the title of Air Chief Marshal.

Maha Vachiralongkorn was born in 1952 and raised as a true royal son. In an interview, he admitted that at the age of 12 he did not even know how to tie his shoelaces, because servants always did it for him. At the age of 14, he was sent to a closed educational institution in England. He was an officer of three different types of troops of the Thai army. The prince's education continued at school in Sydney, after which in 1972 he entered the Royal Military College in Duntroon.

In 1977, the prince obeyed his mother's wishes and married his cousin, Princess Mom Luang Soamsawali Kitiyakara. From this marriage, Princess Bajrakitiyabha was born. Just nine months later, the prince had a son with actress Yuvadhida Polpraset, who would later become his wife. They had four more children, and all were born before the prince divorced his first wife.

In 1982, when Queen Sirikit traveled to the United States, in an interview she commented on her son's reputation: "My son, the crown Prince, is a bit of a philanderer. He's a good student, a good guy, but women find him interesting, and he finds women even more interesting."

The late King of Thailand, although born in the United States, enjoyed great popularity and respect among the people, because he was the only constant against the background of many successive governments in power. He was considered a soft leader who used the influence of the monarchy to unite the people. The Buddhist majority in Thailand considers Bhumibol to be the incarnation of a deity, a saint who delayed his entry into nirvana in order to help humanity.

Leaders of military juntas, prime ministers and courtiers addressed the king only on their knees, but Bhumibol himself was a very down-to-earth person. He personally traveled to impoverished villages and remote rice plantations to assess the state of his country and help resolve any problems — from water shortages and hunger to family troubles.

The prince with his wife Srirasmi and son.

The King could play six musical instruments and improvised with such great jazz musicians as Benny Goodman. Over time, he became the richest monarch and one of the richest people in the world. In 2011, Forbes estimated his fortune at more than $30 billion. Due to poor health in the last ten years, the king rarely appeared in public. His widow, Queen Sirikit, is also ill and appears even less often.

With the death of the King of Thailand, the longest-reigning of the living monarchs became the British Queen Elizabeth II.