Ann woke me up early the other morning. She had just checked the news on her phone. "My King is dead" she said, before lying down again. I spent the next hour or two nestling in to her and though she said nothing, I knew that she was terribly sad.

King Bhumibol Adulyadej reigned as a constitutional monarch for 70 years, a record for our time. By all accounts he was a decent King, committed to the Thai people, a man of many talents. On the occasions in the 1990's when I traveled to Thailand, portraits of the King and Queen were omnipresent as was the sense of reverence that ordinary Thai's felt. In a country with fractious politics, the King was a stabilizing influence and a constant source of reassurance. I hope that the next King proves to be as good as this fine man was.

I found this great shot of two monarchs side by side, a picture taken in Bangkok in 1972. Queen Sirikit is in the rear, with Prince Philip on her left.