King Maha Vachiralongkorn Rama X of Thailand

Thailand is a mysterious and exotic country, very popular with Russian tourists. However, not everyone knows who the king of Thailand is now. Currently, Thailand is a monarchy, and many tend to believe that this has always been the case. In fact, Thailand during its existence as a state has changed many forms of government. Until 1942 it was called Siam.

Today Thailand is ruled by the Chakri royal dynasty since 1782. The current ruler, Maha Vachiralongkorn, is respectively the tenth monarch in this dynasty.

He was proclaimed king on November 29, 2016, by the country's National Legislative Assembly following the death of his father, Rama IX, of whom he was sole heir. Upon ascending the throne, the new king adopted the dynastic name Rama X, but retained his "secular" name, which is used in the media and among the people.

Predecessor and Father

The previous king of Thailand, Phumipon Adulyadej, or Rama IX, had great prestige among the people and was revered almost like a demigod. Phumipon's reign lasted for many 70 years, during which time the country enjoyed peace, stability and economic growth. In honor of his birthday a national holiday was celebrated - Father's Day. King Rama IX of Thailand has been a favorite monarch of the people since the early years of his reign, not only for his undoubtedly great contributions to the country's prosperity, but also for his charisma and personal charm.

In the last years of his life, King Bhumibol was very ill and hardly ever appeared in public, and the whole population wished him a speedy recovery, but in spite of this, 13. 10. 2016, at the age of 88, he finally left this world.

On this occasion, the country declared a month of mourning, were canceled all recreational activities, many residents of Thailand all this time wore black as a sign of mourning for their king.

People's distrust and eccentricity

Of course, it was not easy for the new king to take over the country after such a respected and beloved monarch as his father, Rama IX, was.

The authority of the royal family in Thailand is very high and the king is unquestionable, but it was hard to see that he was treated much more coldly than his predecessor.

• First, already because he is a different person.
• Secondly, the son of Rama IX is nothing like his father. He spent his youth in the countries of Europe and his views and values are far from traditional, he was not interested in politics.
• Besides, the King of Thailand, the new rightful monarch, Rama X, did not possess the charisma and charm that the people loved so much in his father, and the comparison was inevitably not in his favor.

Rumors and gossip abounded about him, ranging from his promiscuous liaisons and eccentric leisure activities to his business alliance with the opposition, in particular with Phumipon's main rival, Thaksin Shinawatra. There were, for example, quite explicit photos of the prince with his ex-wife, and also quite shocked the public with his excessive love for his dog - a poodle, in honor of whose birthday lavish celebrations were arranged, and on the occasion of his death mourning was arranged. There were videos of the prince's ex-wife dressed in a thong, with her pet eating off her plate.

In addition to his father's wealth and power, Prince Wachiralongkorn inherited the ethnic conflict in the south of the country, the consequences of terrorist attacks in Thailand's tourist zone, the fall of confidence in security and, consequently, the deteriorating economic situation due to the outflow of tourists.

В обществе Таиланда в то время существовал раскол, с одной стороны – последователи бывшего премьера Таксина Чинавата, с другой – обладающая властью буржуазия. Ко всему прочему, фактическая власть в 2014 году была захвачена военной хунтой. Однако новый монарх проявил силу и находчивость, сумев «вырулить» в столь нелегкой ситуации.

Childhood, Young Years and Career

The future King of Thailand was born on 29.07.1952 in Bangkok. His mother, Queen Sirikit, was before his marriage to the monarch an ordinary girl from the common people. Maha Vachiralongkorn is the only son of his parents and heir to the throne. There are three other princess sisters in the family.

After elementary school in Bangkok, the young prince was sent to Europe to study, first in England and then in Australia.

He graduated as a military pilot from the Royal Military College in Canberra, Australia, after which he had a good career in the army.

The prince first served as a military intelligence officer, then became a battalion commander and, some time later, became a regiment commander of the royal personal guard. In the 1970s he took part in military operations in Thailand.

Состояние короля, полученное им отца, оценивается на настоящий момент в 30 миллиардов долларов. Рама X, король Таиланда – один из самых богатых людей на планете. Before becoming ruler, he lived in Germany, having bought a luxurious mansion there for 10 million euros.

Personal life and children

Maha Vachiralongkorn was known for his stormy personal life: at the time of his ascension to the throne he had been married three times and had many mistresses. The prince's amorous nature caused him many problems in life. In all, he became the father of seven children.

The 25-year-old prince's first wife and father of his eldest daughter was his cousin Mom Luang Soamsawali Kitiyakara. However, the marriage did not last long: the prince became infatuated with a young actress named Yuvadhida Polpraset. Four sons and a daughter were born in the union with his mistress.

With his first wife Maha Vachiralongkorn still divorced after 14 years, and did not register a new relationship, only allowing the chosen one to take a new name, which meant her status: a commoner who is paired with a person of royal lineage. Alas, Yuvahida was not happy with this situation and fled to England, taking her children with her. The prince was very offended and publicly announced that Yuvahida had cheated on him with the 60-year-old air marshal.

Thus, the couple parted very badly; subsequently, the king's children, along with Yuvahida, refused to return to their homeland and were deprived of all royal privileges and rights.

Only the king's daughter returned to Thailand. Princess Sirivannavari (pictured below). She leads the life of a socialite and works as a model and fashion designer.

The king's second marriage to a commoner named Srirasmi also ended in a scandalous breakup, which, among other things, involved relatives of the new wife involved in a corrupt scheme.

As a result, the ex-wife's family was sentenced to prison for slandering the king.

The monarch's third wife, Sutinda NuiBefore she met him, she was just a flight attendant. Once Maha Vachiralongkorn shocked the public by stepping out of the plane with his wife in a shocking outfit: jeans with an extremely low waist and a short top that did not hide the fully tattooed back and arms of the royalty.

Unfortunately, the king's third marriage ended in divorce after the birth of his heir, the prince. Dipangkorn Rasmichoti.

Political activity and coronation

Upon ascending the throne, Maha Vachiralognkorn immediately made the noble gesture of declaring a broad amnesty. He then reshuffled the King's Privy Council and appointed the Supreme Patriarch of Thai Buddhism, whose seat had been vacant since 2013.. He also changed the way elections were conducted. As a military man himself, Rama X supported the military in the country and amended the constitution to allow elections to be postponed.

1. In general, Rama X adheres to his father's policy: he is above all political disputes and tries not to get involved in them.
2. He considers national reunification and overcoming divisions his top priority.
3. Knowing firsthand what warfare is like, he wants to keep peace in the country.

Elections to the lower house of parliament, which will take place in 2018, are designed to restore democratic rule in the country, interrupted by the military junta of 2014.

Maha Vachiralongkorn was expected to be crowned before the end of 2017. However, the coronation has been postponed, and a new date has been given for when Thailand's new king will ascend the throne - 2018.