For over the past 52 years His (late) Majesty, Rama IX, King Bhumipol Adulyadej was known as one of Thailand’s most popular leaders in the history of the country. Thais respected their King, and he is remembered alongside the greatest kings, gods and legends in Thai history. Thailand is a colorful place, known for tradition and culture. Thailand’s late king embodied some of the country’s treasured values. Check out the list below to see for yourself:
- His Majesty, the King was actually born on December 5, 1927 in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Yep, that makes him American and Thai!
- He is survived by wife, Queen Sirikit whom he married on April 28, 1950.
- Together the king and queen raised four children, former Princess Ubol Ratana Rajakanya, Crown Prince Maha Vajiralongkorn, Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn and Princess Chulabhorn Valayalaksana (all adult children now).
- King Bhumipol Adulyadej was the ninth king of the Chakri Dynasty, which was established in the 18th century.
- The king is an enthusiastic and skilled yachtsman. He was even awarded a gold medal in the 4th SEAP Games in which he sailed a yacht of his own design.
- His Majesty loved of jazz music and was an accomplished saxophonist.
- The king was also an accomplished composer: The Candlelight Blues, Lay Kram goes Dixie, Friday Night Rag and the H.M. Blues (H.M. stands/or “Hungry Ma11” due to the fact that he would forget to eat because he was so interested in playing music.
- The King admired and jammed with the best of them – Benny Goodman, Duke Ellington, Louis Armstrong, Lionel Hampton, Stan Gibbs, and Count Basie.
- Of his official duties since His Majesty’s accession to the throne in 1946, he assisted his people in an effort to ease their lives and well-being, by improving the standard of living.
- He was known as the “working monarch” and is dedicated and devoted to the Thai people.
- His Majesty in 1950 donated 500,000 Baht from his private funds to build the “Mahidol Memorial Building” for the scientific and medical purpose of producing a vaccination to fight tuberculosis.
- The construction of the “Vajiralongkorn Building” in the Thai Red Cross Compound, and the Medical Building at Bhumibol Hospital are just two examples of his goodwill.
- The King and Queen of Thailand are known as a traveling pair. They paid visits to the most remote and rural lands in the kingdom. When traveling, a major goal was to put an international spotlight on solutions for Thailand’s poorest people.
- His (late) Majesty personally interviewed his countrymen before establishing policies that would affect their lives.
Thailand’s longest reigning monarch, King Bhumipol Adulyadej passed away on October 13, 2016, at Siriraj Hospital, Bangkok, Thailand. Of all his accomplishments, there is certainly something that we could all learn from the late and great King of Thailand and apply to our own lives.
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