Thailand's crown prince Maha Vajiralongkorn in a crop top and fake tattoos.

Thailand's Crown Prince Maha Vajiralonkorn, who was named successor to Bhumibol back in December 1972, wants to lay to rest speculation that's arisen as the southeast Asian nation mourns its longtime leader.

The heir held an audience with prime minister Prayut Chan-ocha and Prem Tinsulanonda who is now standing in as regent, asking them to pass on his reassurances to the people.

Few individuals knew about her somewhat odd and scandalous party until 2007, when the crown prince's opponents leaked video footage of it in an effort to undermine his eventual takeover of the throne.

When King Bhumibol, or Rama IX, died on Thursday at 88, the government summoned the interim parliament for a meeting to formally endorse Vajiralongkorn as Rama X. The meeting was set at 9pm.

King Bhumibol, who was the world's longest-reigning monarch, has always been revered as a father figure and symbol of unity in a country riven by political crises over the years, most recently by a power struggle between the military-led establishment and populist political forces.

"One of his important remarks was that he asked the people not to be confused or concerned about government affairs, including the royal succession", Mr Prayuth said. In the days leading to his demise, hundreds gathered outside the Siriraj Hospital in Bangkok where the monarch spent much of his time battling a multitude of illnesses.

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He said one challenge that royalists will face is the possibility that the monarchy's popularity will be undermined by the crowning of Vajiralongkorn, who does not command the same respect his father did. Authorities have allowed people to enter the complex for a limited time, and only to sign condolence books in another hall.

"I left home at 6 a.m.to come here", she said. While analysts and Thais have always been nervous about a messy transition that could destabilize the country, such a scenario now seems unlikely - at least in the short term - with the military firmly in power today, Robert Dayley, author of the book Southeast Asia in the New International Era, told Borderless News Online. "There were people who have been here since 4 or 5 a.m". King Bhumibol had been a unifying figure in a country that is torn by deep divisions of class and politics and is now ruled by a military junta.

"I haven't even started to think about that; I'm still in mourning over the king", said Rakchadaporn Unnankad, a 24-year-old Bangkok office worker.

Once in power, he solidified his reputation as a monarch who, while quiet and artsy, believed he could effect change and push Thailand into a decades-long makeover that would see a boom in its urban development and the emergence of a true middle class.

But real power lies with the country's military, which toppled a democratically elected government to seize power after months of political upheaval in 2014.

Thais have donned black since Bhumibol's death in a remarkable show of grief for the king, while nightlife and entertainment - including television shows, concerts and sports events - have been cancelled or made low-key.