Thailand loses her king after 70 years on the throne

For the first morning in 70 years, Thailand woke up without its King. As dawn broke, the streets were awash with grief as the reality of the Thursday evening passing of 88-year-old King Bhumibol Adulyadej began to set in. The tide of pink and yellow, worn as a show of support for his majesty, has now made way for a sea of black. Friday has been declared a public holiday for government offices by the Thai cabinet, according to an announcement on state television. Some of the normally bustling streets of Bangkok are quiet, as stone-faced Thais set out on their morning commutes. On Bangkok's Skytrains, digital screens which normally show loud advertisements have been turned off.

Outside the Grand Palace, where the King's body will be moved Friday afternoon, mourners have already begun to claim spaces to watch the procession. Many have been camped out as early as midnight. The King's body and his family will then travel by motorcade to the Grand Palace, where a funeral bathing ceremony -- a traditional rite in Buddhist culture -- will take place. People have lined up to pour water on a portrait of the King inside the palace -- a way for the masses to simulate the symbolic royal bathing of the King's body.
Crown Prince Maha Vajiralongkorn was appointed the King's successor in 1972, but exactly when Crown Prince Maha Vajiralongkorn will ascend to the throne is yet to be announced.