Although I know that almost all media reports on the Thai monarchy refer to the reverence in which the monarchy is held that is not really true. The late King Bhumibol throughout his reign established that reverence, ably assisted by his wife and, later, his eldest daughter.

But let us not forget the 1933 Coup which stripped the monarchy of its powers. Or that from 1935 until 1945 the then King (Bhumipol's brother) lived in Switzerland, so central to Thai consciousness was he. This suggests that the present King might not be able to rely on institutionalised veneration but would need to maintain or creat his own sources of devotion, and he is a hard man to love.