King Bhumibol Adulyadej was born in 1927 in the United States and became King of Thailand in 1946. He continued his education in Switzerland where he met his future wife, Queen Sirikit. King Bhumibol reigned for over 70 years until his death in 2016, making him the world's longest-reigning monarch at the time of his passing. He was widely respected by the Thai people for his devotion to modernizing and developing the country.