His Majesty King Bhumibol Adulyadej acceded to the Throne as Rama the IX of
Thailand on the 9 June 1946 ,when he was only 18 years of age. Thailand had become a
constitutional Monarchy since 1932 but the then King Prajadhipok reigned only for a few
more years and King Ananda Mahidol,the present King's Elder Brother, who succeeded to
the Throne at a very tender age, supent his Life mostly at study abroad before he met his
unfortunate demise at the of 20. The task, therefore, fell uponing Bhumibol
adulyadejto be the first really reigning Monarch under the constitutional System and thus to give a new and contemporary meaning to the Thai Throne.