He is also perhaps the world's most ingenious. Here at the Grand Palace on a balmy January afternoon, a small group of foreign doctors are to be honoured for their exemplary contributions to medicine. The awards were established almost a decade ago in honour of the king's father, Prince Mahidol, a medical doctor who dedicated his life to improving public health care. Protocol is relaxed and the aura is what you would expect before a respected figure. If there is awe, it is felt privately.
Men bow their heads and women curtsy when the softly melodic king's anthem ends.
The ceremony is over in less than 20 minutes, and the king, looking tired but younger than he is, withdraws for a more relaxed conversation with the awardees. These are testing times for Thai society and the monarchy that forms its apex. The last vestiges of insulation from the wider world were blown away by the 1997 economic crisis. Wrenching political change wasn't far behind, launching the country on an accelerated trajectory toward full democracy. Long used to ephemeral government led by weak prime ministers beholden to generals and local warlords, Thais have now elected their richest businessman and handed him a hefty majority in parliament.