Vajiralongkorn

Vajiralongkorn (Thai: วชิราลงกรณ) (born 28 July 1952) is the King of Thailand. He is the only son of King Bhumibol Adulyadej and Queen Sirkit. In 1972, at the age of 20, he was made crown prince by his father. After his father's death on 13 October 2016, he was expected to ascend to the throne of Thailand but asked for time to mourn before taking the throne. He accepted the throne on the night of 1 December 2016. His coronation took place from 4–6 May 2019. The Thai government retroactively declared his reign to have begun on 13 October 2016, upon his father's death. As the tenth monarch of the Chakri dynasty, he is also styled as Rama X. Aged 64 at that time, Vajiralongkorn became the oldest Thai monarch to ascend to the throne.

Vajiralongkorn

He is the wealthiest monarch in the world, with a net worth estimated to be between $30 billion and $70 billion.

Quotes

• I invite everyone here and all Thai people to share my determination and work together, each according to his status and duty, with the nation’s prosperity and the people’s happiness as the ultimate goals.
  • "'I shall reign with righteousness': Thailand crowns king in ornate ceremonies" in Reuters (3 May 2019)

• I shall maintain my loyalty to the country and honesty to the people. I will perform my duties to the best of my abilities with dedication, for the prosperity, peace and lasting security of the Thai kingdom, till the day I die.
  • "Pledge during an oath-taking ceremony at the ordination hall of the Temple of the Emerald Buddha after his investiture as Crown Prince" (28 July 1972)

• Thais are patriotic. They love the Kingdom. It is our national characteristic. Thai people are as knowledgeable and capable as citizens of any countries. That is why it should be trusted that if we put our heads and join our hands together we should certainly be able to tackle obstacles, problems or any incident of irregularities in our country.
  • "New Year greetings to Thai people" (31 December 2016)

• I and the queen are pleased and delighted to see the people having goodwill. Your unity in showing your goodwill is a good sign for everyone to do good things for the prosperity of the nation.
  • "Thailand’s new king addresses the public after his gilded coronation" in The Washington Post (6 May 2019)

• There are many ways to work, it’s important to have dedication and resolve to serve the people, the country and the highest institutions of the nation. The people want to be happy. The people want to have confidence and security, and they are willing to walk in the right direction. Therefore, the cabinet has a duty to steer, safeguard and protect our nation.
  • "Speech to new Cabinet" in Khaosod English (4 December 2017)

• I want the unity shown here with this goodwill to be an encouraging sign for everybody, all sides to perform their duties for the prosperity of our country.
  • "Thai King praises 'unity' in speech on final coronation day" in Rappler (6 May 2019)

• Knowledge, understanding and cooperation will lead the country to happiness, security and progress.
  • "His Majesty presents televised end of year message" in Thaiger (1 January 2021)

External links

• Encyclopedic article on Vajiralongkorn on Wikipedia
• Media related to Vajiralongkorn on Wikimedia Commons