people under his reign that has made him loved and respected by everyone. It is a day of yellow! You will see almost every Thai wearing the colour yellow to mark the occasion, and thousands of wellwishers gather together in Bangkok to try and catch a glimpse of His Majesty as the royal motorcade passes by. A frenzy of flagwaving, screaming and general hysteria is usually the case as the crowd displays a collective outpouring of genuine love for their leader. There are a few interesting facts about the King that you may not be aware of. For one, he was born in the USA; Cambridge, Massachusetts to be precise. When he was 6 years old, his mother took her family to Switzerland, where he studied French Literature and Science at the University of Lausanne. It was here that he had his unfortunate car accident on the road to Geneva that cost him the sight in his right eye. While he was recovering in hospital, he was visited by the daughter of the Thai ambassador to France, who later want on to become his wife, Queen Sirikit. They were married in 1950, just a week before he was crowned King of Thailand.
The King is widely known as an accomplished painter, photographer, author, translator and even a jazz musician - the alto saxophone being his instrument of choice. He was the first Asian composer awarded honorary membership of the Academy of Music & Dramatic Arts in Vienna, at the age of just 32. Sailing is also another love of the King, and His Majesty is an accomplished sailor and even a designer of the vessels. He was won numerous medals and awards in regattas and races, made even more impressive remembering the fact that the lack of sight in his right eye leaves him with no depth perception. The King also has one of the longest official titles in the world! His unabridged, official name is, “Phra Bat Somdet Phra Poramintharamaha Bhumibol Adulyadej Mahitalathibet Ramathibodi Chakkrinaruebodin Sayamminthrathirat Borommanatbophit” This roughly translates as “Strength of the Land”, and it is this strength that makes him one of the most effective, well-respected and talented monarchs in history Happy Birthday King Bhumibol!
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