King Bhumibol Adulyadej, King Rama IX of the Chakri dynasty, of Thailand has died at the age of 88.
 
The King was the Guinness World Record title for record Longest reigning monarch (living) having ascended to the throne on 9 June 1946.
 
His death means the title holder for the record is now Queen Elizabeth II, Queen of the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand, and Head of the Commonwealth.
 
King Bhumibol was born in Cambridge in the US state of Massachusetts on 5 December 1927, his formal coronation did not take place until 5 May 1950. 
 
He had reigned without interruption for over 70 years after acceding to the throne following the death of his brother, King Ananda Mahidol.
 
An official statement from Thailand’s royal household bureau this afternoon said King Bhumibol, “passed away peacefully” at 3.52pm (8.52am BST) on Thursday at Siriraj hospital in Bangkok.
 
Crown Prince Maha Vajiralongkorn will be the country’s new monarch, Thailand’s prime minister confirmed this morning.
 
Queen Elizabeth II
Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, who ascended to the throne on 6 February 1952, now takes the title for Longest reigning monarch (living) having reigned uninterrupted for 64 years 250 days, as of 13 October 2016.
 
Now aged 90, Queen Elizabeth II already holds the records for Longest reigning queen - living, and Oldest current monarch.