His Majesty King Bhumibol Adulaydej

His Majesty King Bhumibol Adulyadej is the ninth king of the Chakri Dynasty. Born in December, 1927, in Cambridge, Massachusetts, where his father, His Royal Highness Prince Mahidol of Songkhla was studying medicine at Harvard University, H.M. King Bhumibol ascended the throne in 1946 and is already the longest reigning Thai monarch. As a constitutional monarch, he maintains neutrality at times of crisis.

Thai people have a deep and traditional reverence for the Royal Family. To a very large degree, H.M. King Bhumibol's popularity mirrors his deep interest in his people's welfare. He concerns himself intimately with every aspect of Thai life. He and his wife, H.M. Queen Sirikit devote much of their time to inspect and improve the welfare of the people.

The King and his wife Queen Sirikit have four children:
(Formerly HRH) Princess Ubol Ratana, born April 5, 1951 in Lausanne, Switzerland;
HRH Crown Prince Maha Vajiralongkorn, born July 28, 1952;
HRH Crown Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn, born April 2, 1955;
HRH Princess Chulabhornwalailak, born July 4, 1957.

One of his avocations, unique to the Monarch of Thailand, is to preside over the commencements of the state's universities. Most of the graduates from the state's universities in Thailand received their diplomas from his royal hand. In recent years, however, this tedious work has been delegated to the prince and princesses.

In a cinema, for example, a portrait of the King is shown during the playing of the royal anthem, and the audience is expected to stand. When attending some public event at which a member of the Royal Family is present, the best guide as to how to behave is probably to watch the crowd and do what it does.

Having ruled for almost 60 years, few Thais can remember any other head of state. King Bhumibol's image is prominently displayed all over the country, including on every coin and banknote. Thais take any suggestion of disrespect for the King, by Thais or foreigners, very seriously.

The King's designated successor is Crown Prince Maha Vajiralongkorn.
King Bhumibol is an accomplished jazz musician and composer. He was awarded honorary membership of the Vienna Institute of Music and Arts at the age of 32. He used to play jazz music on air on the Or Sor radio station earlier in his reign. His songs can often be heard at social gatherings and are performed in concerts. 

In addition, he is a painter, photographer and best-selling author and translator. His translated works are "Tito" (The biography of Josip Broz Tito, former Yugoslavia president, by Phyllis Auty) and "Nai In Phu Pid Tong Laang Phra" (The Man called Intrepid by William Stephenson). National best-seller "Phra Mahachanok" is based on a traditional Jataka story of Buddhist scripture. "The story of Thong Daeng" is the story of his dog Khun Thong Daeng. He suggested making this book into a bilingual comic illustrated by a nationally famous comic illustrator Chai Rajawat, and it sold out quickly. He is the world's only monarch to hold a patent, holding several patents on rainmaking since 1955: the "sandwich" rainmaking patent in 1999 and lately the "supersandwich" patent in 2004.