The status of the monarchy had been in decline since the abolition of absolute monarchy in 1932, and then the abdication of King Prajadhipok, King Bhumibol's uncle, in 1935.
In his early years King Bhumibol was overshadowed by a series of powerful military leaders. But with the support of other royal princes and sympathetic generals he rebuilt the monarchy's profile, making a series of tours to outlying provinces, and through numerous royal projects that established his lifelong concern with agricultural development.
In 2006, then UN Secretary General Kofi Annan presented him with the United Nations' first Human Development Lifetime Achievement Award.