Flying Tuesday June 9, 2009

June 9 is the 63rd anniversary of the accession to the throne of the King of Thailand, and I am flying the King’s 60th anniversary flag designed for that occasion.

Bhumibol Adulyadej (Thai: ภูมิพลอดุลยเดช) (born Monday 5 December 1927), is the current King and Head of the State of Thailand.

The king with Queen Sirikit

King Bhumibol Adulyadej or King Rama IX has reigned since the 9 June 1946, making him the world’s longest reigning monarch and the world’s longest serving head of state. Most of the King’s powers are exercised by his elected government in accordance with the constitution of the day. The King still retains many powers such as being head of the Royal Thai Armed Forces, the prerogative of royal assent and the power of pardon.

 The King and his family are protected by Lèse majesté laws. From the Latin laesa maiestas "injury to majesty"; Lèse majesté  is the crime of violating majesty, an offense against the dignity of a reigning sovereign or against a state.

The Thai monarchy has been in continuous existence since the founding of the Kingdom of Sukhothai in 1238. The institution reached its current constitutional form in 1932 after a revolution, which ended the absolute monarchy. The monarchy's official residence is the Grand Palace in Bangkok, Thailand. However the present King spends most of his time at the Chitralada Palace (also in Bangkok) and the Klai Kangwon Villa in Hua Hin.