Regent of Thailand () is a person who exercises the official functions of a monarch of Thailand when the monarch is incapable of functioning or during a period of

interregnum An interregnum (plural interregna or interregnums) is a period of revolutionary breach of legal continuity, discontinuity or "gap" in a government, organization, or social order. Archetypally, it was the period of time between the reign of one m ...

Appointment

By Old Royal Customs

Ancient custom dictates that the

heir Inheritance is the practice of receiving private property, titles, debts, entitlements, privileges, rights, and obligations upon the death of an individual. The rules of inheritance differ among societies and have changed over time. Offi ...

to the last king rule only as a

regent In a monarchy, a regent () is a person appointed to govern a state because the actual monarch is a minor, absent, incapacitated or unable to discharge their powers and duties, or the throne is vacant and a new monarch has not yet been dete ...

and not as a king until he is officially consecrated. An unconsecrated king is not considered qualified to carry out the divine and priestly function of a '' Devarāja'' (or God-king). Until the coronation rites are completed the new king must exclude the prefix ''Phrabat'' (พระบาท) from his royal title, he cannot enact a royal command, nor sit under the nine-tiered umbrella (he must make do with only seven tiers). As a result, it was customary for a king to go through the coronation ceremonies as soon as he had succeeded to the throne.

In Modern Era

According to the , there might be a regent when the monarch is unable to function and there will be a regent when the throne is vacant.

Incapacity of monarch

In accordance with the 2017 constitution, if the monarch is to leave the country or is unable to perform his duties for whatever reason, he may appoint any regent or council of regency. If he does make an appointment, the

president President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) * President (education), a leader of a college or university *President (government title) President may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Film and television *'' Præsident ...

of the

National Assembly of Thailand The Parliament of Thailand ( Abrv: NAT; , , ) is the bicameral legislative branch of the government of Thailand. It convenes in the Sappaya-Sapasathan, Dusit District, Bangkok. The Parliament was established in 1932 after the adoption of Thai ...

will countersign the appointment. If the monarch does not or cannot appoint any regent due to his minority or for any other reason and the

Privy Council of Thailand The Privy Council of Thailand () is a body of appointed advisors to the Monarchy of Thailand. The council, as the Constitution of Thailand stipulates, must be composed of no more than eighteen members. The council is led by the President of the ...

finds the regency is necessary, the Privy Council will nominate a regent or council of regency to the president of the National Assembly for further appointment in the name of the monarch. The nominees are required to be those having been picked beforehand by the monarch and they must be nominated in accordance with the

order of precedence An order of precedence is a sequential hierarchy of importance applied to individuals, groups, or organizations. For individuals, it is most often used for diplomats in attendance at very formal occasions. It can also be used in the context of ...

designated beforehand by the monarch also. Until a regent or council of regency is appointed, the president of the Privy Council will serve as the regent ad interim. The constitution also requires an appointed regent to take the following

oath of office An oath of office is an oath or affirmation a person takes before assuming the duties of an office, usually a position in government or within a religious body, although such oaths are sometimes required of officers of other organizations. Suc ...

amongst the National Assembly before assuming office:

Formerly, the law required regency during the incapacity of the monarch. In January 2017, King

Rama X Vajiralongkorn (born 28 July 1952) is King of Thailand. He is the tenth Thai monarch of the Chakri dynasty since ascending the throne in 2016 with the regnal name Rama X. The only son of King Bhumibol Adulyadej (Rama IX) and Queen Sirik ...

made an unprecedented move to change a draft constitution (later promulgated as the 2017 constitution) by removing the need for the monarch to appoint any regent in such an event, despite the draft having already been approved in a

referendum A referendum, plebiscite, or ballot measure is a Direct democracy, direct vote by the Constituency, electorate (rather than their Representative democracy, representatives) on a proposal, law, or political issue. A referendum may be either bin ...

Interregnum

In accordance with the 2017 constitution, when the throne becomes vacant, the president of the Privy Council of Thailand will act as the regent ad interim until a monarch is installed. But if the vacancy takes place when there already is a regent, appointed by the previous monarch or by the president of the National Assembly due to the monarch's incapacity, that regent will continue to function until a monarch is enthroned. If the appointed regent is unable to function, the president of the Privy Council will also serve as the regent ad interim.

Flag

The regent is given an official flag by the Flag Act 1979. It is a white square flag with a shield of the

national flag A national flag is a flag that represents and national symbol, symbolizes a given nation. It is Fly (flag), flown by the government of that nation, but can also be flown by its citizens. A national flag is typically designed with specific meanin ...

at the centre, topped by the mythological bird

garuda Garuda (; ; Vedic Sanskrit: , ) is a Hindu deity who is primarily depicted as the mount (''vahana'') of the Hindu god Vishnu. This divine creature is mentioned in the Hindu, Buddhist, and Jain faiths. Garuda is also the half-brother of the D ...

, which is the national emblem of Thailand.

List of regents

Fourth Reign

Fifth Reign

Sixth Reign

Seventh Reign

Eighth Reign

Ninth Reign

Tenth Reign

References

Sources

* * * {{citation, last=Quaritch Wales , first=H. G. , author-link=Horace Geoffrey Quaritch Wales , url=https://archive.org/details/siamesestatecere030661mbp , title=Siamese State Ceremonies: Their History and Function , year=1931 , publisher=

Routledge Routledge ( ) is a British multinational corporation, multinational publisher. It was founded in 1836 by George Routledge, and specialises in providing academic books, academic journals, journals and online resources in the fields of the humanit ...

, location=London, United Kingdom , isbn=0853880077

Thailand Thailand, officially the Kingdom of Thailand and historically known as Siam (the official name until 1939), is a country in Southeast Asia on the Mainland Southeast Asia, Indochinese Peninsula. With a population of almost 66 million, it spa ...

Heads of state of Thailand

Regents In a monarchy, a regent () is a person appointed to govern a state because the actual monarch is a minor, absent, incapacitated or unable to discharge their powers and duties, or the throne is vacant and a new monarch has not yet been dete ...