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| Queen
Sirikit with husband King Bhumibol of Thailand as viewed by many in the
majority Buddhist nation as a bodhisattva, or holy being who delays entering
nirvana to aid the human race |
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| Thai
King Bhumibol and Queen Sirikit in Guards uniform in the Throne Room of
the Grand Palace, Bangkok. There will now be a year-long mourning period in
Thailand |
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| The death of King Bhumibol of Thailand means that Great Britain's Queen Elizabeth II is now the world's longest reigning monarch |
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| (L-R) King Bhumibol with his son Crown Prince Maha Vajiralongkorn. It is expected that he will become the new king |
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| Thai King Bhumibol and his wife Queen Sirkit in yellow behind their son Crown Prince Maha Vajiralongkorn wave to crowds in Bangkok in 2006. The Queen is also facing ailing health |
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| The delay comes as Crown Prince Maha Vajiralongkorn has constantly been dogged by a reputation that some fear could weaken respect for the Thai monarchy |
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| Crown Prince Vajiralongkorn has been married three times and all three marriages have ended in divorce. He is pictured with his third wife Srirasmi Koet-amphaeng and their son Prince Dipangkorn Rasmijoti |
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| Crown Prince Maha Vajiralongkorn has been married three times and all three marriages have ended in divorce. He is pictured with his third wife Srirasmi Koet-amphaeng and their son Prince Dipangkorn Rasmijoti |
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| Bhumibol,
has been king since 1946, there is great concern about the eventual succession |
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| Crown Prince of Thailand Maha Vajiralongkorn, who has told the Thai PM he wants to delay becoming king following the death of his father |
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| Heartbroken Thais are mourning the death of their beloved King Bhumibol who died today in hospital in Bangkok at the age of 88. He is pictured with his wife Queen Sirikit |
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| Crown
Prince Maha Vajiralongkorn was commissioned as an officer in the three
branches of Thailand's armed forces and by age 14 was sent to boarding school
in England |
