Thailand’s parliament on Tuesday invited Crown Prince Maha Vajiralongkorn to become the next king, resolving lingering anxiety over his accession following his father’s death last month.

The country has been plunged into mourning since widely-revered King Bhumibol Adulyadej died on 13 October, ending a remarkable seven-decade reign and removing a key pillar of unity in a bitterly divided nation.

Tuesday’s move ends a period of uncertainty sparked by the junta making the surprise announcement after Bhumibol’s death that the prince had asked to delay his official proclamation so he could mourn.

“I will invite the Crown Prince Maha Vajiralongkorn to succeed to the throne and become king of the Thai people,” Pornpetch Wichitcholchai, head of the rubber stamp National Legislative Assembly said.

Lawmakers then stood up and replied: “Long live the king”.

The parliamentary endorsement came after Thailand’s cabinet officially submitted Mr Vajiralongkorn’s name earlier in the day.

Prawit Wongsuwan, deputy prime minister and the junta’s number two, said the prince’s ascension was “proceeding step-by-step” according to the country’s arcane succession rules.

According to protocol, the assembly speaker will now seek a royal audience with the prince to invite him to ascend the throne, the last step before being proclaimed the new monarch.

Mr Wongsuwan said that would likely happen “either tomorrow or the day after”.

Mr Vajiralongkorn, 64, has been the named successor to Bhumibol for more than four decades.

He spends much of his time outside the kingdom, particularly in southern Germany where he owns property.

A military source told AFP the prince was still currently in Germany.

He will soon inherit one of the world’s richest monarchies, an institution protected by a tough royal defamation law.

That law makes open discussion about the royal family’s role all but impossible inside the kingdom and convictions have skyrocketed since generals seized power in 2014.

Officially Thailand’s monarch has limited constitutional power.

But over his seven-decade reign, Bhumibol built up a powerful network of alliances, especially within Thailand's military elite, and forged a reputation as an arbiter in times of crisis.

Yet the late king has left his son with a sharply divided country.

Thailand’s last decade has seen a cycle of political protests, coups by an arch-royalist military while inequality has deepened.

Dubbed the “lost decade”, Thailand’s most recent period of political unrest coincided with Bhumibol’s increasingly frail health and fewer public appearances.

Mr Vajiralongkorn, a certified pilot, has yet to achieve his father’s widespread adoration.

The masses mourn for Thai King Show all 40 1 /40 The masses mourn for Thai King The masses mourn for Thai King Robot arms perform during a synchronisation show to pay tribute to Thailand's late King Bhumibol Adulyadej at an exhibition hall in Bangkok, Thailand Reuters The masses mourn for Thai King Robot arms perform during a synchronisation show to pay tribute to Thailand's late King Bhumibol Adulyadej at an exhibition hall in Bangkok, Thailand Reuters The masses mourn for Thai King Thai government officials gather to pay respects and pledge an oath of allegiance to the late Thai King Bhumibol Adulyadej during a ceremony at the Government House in Bangkok Getty The masses mourn for Thai King Thai mahouts riding on elephants participate during a parade to honor the late Thai King Bhumibol Adulyadej outside the Grand Palace in Bangkok, Thailand EPA The masses mourn for Thai King Thai mahouts riding on elephants and law enforcement officials pay respects during a parade to honor the late Thai King Bhumibol Adulyadej outside the Grand Palace in Bangkok, Thailand EPA The masses mourn for Thai King Thai mahouts on elephants outside the Grand Palace in Bangkok, Thailand EPA The masses mourn for Thai King Mourners line up to get into the throne hall at the Grand Palace for the first time to pay their respects in front of the golden urn of Thailand's late King Bhumibol Adulyadej in Bangkok, Thailand Reuters The masses mourn for Thai King Thai mourners hold portraits of late Thai King Bhumibol Adulyadej as they queue up EPA The masses mourn for Thai King Thai mourners hold pictures of late Thai King Bhumibol Adulyadej over their heads as a sign of respect EPA The masses mourn for Thai King Thai mourners wearing black clothing line up to pay respects to the Royal Urn of late Thai King Bhumibol Adulyadej EPA The masses mourn for Thai King Thai mourners pay their respects Bureau of the Royal Household via AP The masses mourn for Thai King In this photo released by the Bureau of the Royal Household, Thai mourners pay their respects in front of royal urn containing the body of the late Thai King Bhumibol Adulyadej, at Grand Palace in Bangkok, Thailand Bureau of the Royal Household via AP The masses mourn for Thai King Thailand's Crown Prince Maha Vajiralongkorn arrives at the Grand Palace before he takes part in a ceremony honouring Thailand's late King Bhumibol Adulyadej in Bangkok, Thailand Reuters The masses mourn for Thai King A large black and white portrait of the late Thai King Bhumibol Adulyadej is displayed on the facade of a building in Bangkok, Thailand EPA The masses mourn for Thai King Mourners offer food to monks at Siriraj Hospital for one week anniversary the late Thai King Bhumibol Adulyadej in Bangkok, Thailand AP The masses mourn for Thai King Thai Princess Soamsawali Mahidol arriving to a royal religious merit making ceremony for the late Thai King Bhumibol Adulyadej at the Grand Palace in Bangkok, Thailand EPA The masses mourn for Thai King Thai Crown Prince Maha Vajiralongkorn (front, R) accompanied by royal family members, Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn (front, L), Princess Chulabhorn (back, L), Princess Soamsawali Mahidol (back, 2-L), Princess Ubolratana Rajakanya (back, C) and Princess Adityadhornkitikhun (back, R) during a royal religious merit making ceremony for the late Thai King Bhumibol Adulyadej at Dusit Maha Prasart Throne Hall, Grand Palace in Bangkok, Thailand EPA The masses mourn for Thai King People hold pictures of the late Thai King Bhumibol Adulyadej during a gathering at Narathiwat City Hall in the southern province of Narathiwat Getty The masses mourn for Thai King People gather in the shape of a heart in honour of the late Thai King Bhumibol Adulyadej at Narathiwat City Hall in the southern province of Narathiwat Getty The masses mourn for Thai King A Thai man holds an image of Thai King Bhumibol Adulyadej as people pray for the late monarch in a park beneath Bhumibol Bridge in Bangkok Getty The masses mourn for Thai King Supreeda Sorapakdee shows his tattoo which is the Thai number 9 and a silhouette of the late Thai King Bhumibol Adulyadej, who is also known as King Rama IX, in Bangkok, Thailand AP The masses mourn for Thai King A tattoo artist works on a woman's back with the words "I pledge to be your loyal subject in every lifetime," under the Thai number 9, which is short for King Rama IX, the late King Bhumibol Adulyadej in Bangkok, Thailand AP The masses mourn for Thai King Thai police officers march next to a replica of a London Bus which is used as a shuttle bus service for mourners to pay their respects to late Thai King Bhumibol Adulyadej outside the Grand Palace in Bangkok, Thailand EPA The masses mourn for Thai King A worker works on scaffolding to install a portrait of Thailand's late King Bhumibol Adulyadej near the Grand Palace in Bangkok, Thailand Reuters The masses mourn for Thai King A Thai Buddhist monk takes a picture of drawing portraits of the late Thai King Bhumibol Adulyadej in Bangkok, Thailand AP The masses mourn for Thai King The Thai national flag flutters at half mast at the Ministry of Defence following the passing of King Bhumibol Adulyadej, in Bangkok, Thailand Reuters The masses mourn for Thai King People stand in line to offer condolences for Thailand's late King Bhumibol Adulyadej at the Grand Palace in Bangkok, Thailand Reuters The masses mourn for Thai King A woman holds an image of Thai King Bhumibol Adulyadej as she waits in a queue to pay her respects at the Grand Palace in Bangkok Getty The masses mourn for Thai King Thai well-wishers stand in queue to pay their respects to late Thai King Bhumibol Adulyadej ahead of a procession to transport the king's body at the Grand Palace in Bangkok, Thailand EPA The masses mourn for Thai King Thai buddhist monks and well-wishers stand in a line as they mourn during the royal funeral bathing ceremony for Thai King Bhumibol Adulyadej outside the Sahathai Samakom Pavilion, inside the Grand Palace in Bangkok, Thailand EPA The masses mourn for Thai King Thai Prime Minister, General Prayuth Chan-o-cha attends royal bathing ceremony at The Grand Palace The masses mourn for Thai King A woman signs a condolences book for Thailand's late King Bhumibol Adulyadej at the Thai Embasssy in Tokyo, Japan Reuters The masses mourn for Thai King Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe bows after he signs a condolences book for Thailand's late King Bhumibol Adulyadej in front of a portrait of the king at Thailand's Embassy in Tokyo, Japan Reuters The masses mourn for Thai King Thai women read the newspaper before attending royal bathing ceremony at The Grand Palace Getty The masses mourn for Thai King Mourners sit in a coffee shop in front of the Grand Palace decorated with paintings of Thailand's late King Bhumibol Adulyadej in Bangkok, Thailand Reuters The masses mourn for Thai King Thai people attend royal bathing ceremony at The Grand Palace. Thailand's King Bhumibol Adulyadej, the world's longest-reigning monarch, died at the age of 88 in Bangkok's Siriraj Hospital on Thursday after his 70-year reign. Getty The masses mourn for Thai King Thai Royal guards march as mourners line up to enter the Grand Palace to pay respect to Thailand's late King Bhumibol Adulyadej in Bangkok, Thailand Reuters The masses mourn for Thai King People mourn as they offer condolences for Thailand's late King Bhumibol Adulyadej at the Grand Palace in Bangkok, Thailand Reuters The masses mourn for Thai King Buddhist Monks pray in front to a portrait of Thai King Bhumibol Adulyadej at Wat Thai Temple in the North Hollywood section of Los Angeles AP The masses mourn for Thai King A Thai national offer prayers at a Phra Phrom shrine in the 'Little Thailand' area of Singapore Getty

Rumours over his private life have also trailed him. He has had three high-profile divorces, while a recent police corruption scandal linked to the family of his previous wife allowed the public a rare glimpse of palace affairs.

Since Bhumibol’s death, he has attended some of the daily funerary rites for his father but has made no public statements.

He has asked his younger sister, Princess Sirindhorn to oversee the organisation for Bhumibol’s cremation, which will not take place until an official one year mourning period has ended.

Historically, the new monarch in Thailand is only crowned once the previous monarch is cremated.