Much about the death of King Bhumibol has been as expected. Thailand has been consumed in grief for the loss of a beloved ruler.
But the decision to delay anointing his son and designated heir, Crown Prince Vajiralongkorn, as the next king has caught people by surprise.
On the night of 13 October, members of the military-appointed National Legislative Assembly were summoned to a special session two hours after King Bhumibol's death was announced, and they expected they would go through the formality of inviting the crown prince to take the throne.
But, following a meeting between him and Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha, they were told the name of the next king would not be forwarded to them yet. Instead they held a nine-minute silent tribute to the late king, and went home.
Normally the succession should take place immediately after the death of the monarch. On 9 June 1946, for example, King Bhumibol was formally invited to take the throne in a night-time session of parliament, even though this was the same day his elder brother Ananda had been found mysteriously shot dead in his bedroom.
The young king was unprepared, but accepted, and then went back to Switzerland to continue studying for four years before returning for his coronation. Throughout that time, though, he was officially the king.
The government says the crown prince wants time to mourn his father with the Thai people before taking the throne. It isn't clear yet when that will happen, although the government's legal expert, Deputy Prime Minister Wissanu Krea-Ngam has stressed that it could be at any time, when the crown prince feels ready.