Crop-tops, topless parties and poodle funerals: The lavish lifestyle of Thailand's next king

In this photo released by the Thai Parliament, Thai Crown Prince Vajiralongkorn presides over the opening of the house at the Anantasamakhom Throne Hall in Bangkok, Thailand, Thursday, Aug. 7, 2014. (AP / Parliament-HO)

Parties at the Thai royal palace might be a lot more interesting in one year's time.

The next king of Thailand is well-known among his subjects as a scandal-plagued playboy with questionable taste in clothing, a sordid history with women and an intense love for his late poodle, Foo Foo.

Crown Prince Maha Vajiralongkorn, 64, has been named the official successor to his late father, King Bhumibol Adulyadej, who died last week at the age of 88. Bhumibol, who sat the throne for 70 years, was beloved by his people and acknowledged as the world's longest-serving monarch at the time of his death.

But with Bhumibol gone, his only son and heir has sparked controversy by asking for a one-year delay before he assumes the throne. Crown Prince Vajiralongkorn says he wants to wait a year so he can mourn his father with the rest of the country, although the request has raised questions given his partying lifestyle.

With one year to go until he takes the throne, here's what you need to know about the playboy prince who will be king.

He's an accomplished pilot

For all the wackiness of his personal life, Vajiralongkorn has an impressive resume. He went to high school in England, attended the Royal Military College, Duntroon in Australia, and logged 3,000 hours of flight time through a series of military training courses in the United States. The prince can fly a wide range of aircraft, from fighter jets to helicopters to commercial airplanes.

In addition to his own military achievements, the prince has shown a penchant for bestowing military ranks on others. He made his wife a major in the Thai Army, and declared his dog an Air Chief Marshal.

His topless wife served cake at his dog's birthday party

That's right – Vajiralongkorn's third wife, Princess Srirasmi Suwadee, wore nothing but a G-string to a lavish birthday party for the prince's beloved poodle, Foo Foo.

A leaked video of the 2005 celebration shows the princess was nearly naked throughout the dinner service, and during the cake-cutting ceremony, in which she took a leading role. No other guests are shown in the video, but servants occasionally appear in the frame and several camera flashes can be seen while Srirasmi lights the candles and cuts the cake.

The prince is shown posing for photos with his topless wife throughout the video. At one point, Vajiralongkorn holds the dog and stands with Srirasmi behind the cake for a family portrait. Later, they pose with Srirasmi reclining on the ground holding a piece of cake, and Vajiralongkorn crouching beside her.

The video emerged amid a military coup in Thailand, sparking questions about the prince's decadent lifestyle and fitness to rule. However, the voices of concern were largely muted inside the country, because of Thailand's ban on criticizing the monarchy.

The not-safe-for-work video can be found on Vimeo.

His relationships end badly

Prince Vajiralongkorn has seven children from three wives, all of whom he wound up divorcing.

The prince was wed to his first cousin, Princess Soamsawali, in an arranged marriage in 1977. However, he soon entered into an open affair and fathered several children with actress Yuvadhida Polpraserth. He divorced Princess Soamsawali in 1991 and eventually married Yuvadhida, while relegating his now-ex wife to other tasks for the royal family.

However, the prince's second marriage didn't last long, and the actress, who took the name Sujarinee Vivacharawongse, fled Thailand in 1996. The two were divorced and Sujarinee was labelled an adulterer in Thailand, prompting her to take up residence in exile in the United States. The prince also stripped their children of their royal titles.

Vajiralongkorn met his third wife, Srirasmi Suwadee, when she was working at a bar, and married her in 2001. But despite her cake-cutting talents, the marriage fell apart after 13 years, and the two were divorced in 2014.

However, the prince didn't stop at divorce. Srirasmi was given approximately $6 million and sent into exile in her hometown, while her family was stripped of their titles and her parents were thrown in jail for corruption.

Prince Vajiralongkorn is currently unmarried, with one year remaining until he assumes the throne. Perhaps he'll find a future queen in that time.

He loved Air Chief Marshal Foo Foo

They say a dog is a man's best friend, and in the case of Prince Vajiralongkorn, that certainly held true. Foo Foo joined the royal family as a pet to one of Vakiralongkorn's children, but the prince soon took the poodle as his own and elevated him to the status of royal star. He would often dress the dog in formal attire and, as mentioned above, throw lavish birthdays for the animal.

He also gave Foo Foo a military rank, as revealed in an email from a U.S. ambassador to Thailand, which was released by WikiLeaks in 2011. In the email, Ralph Boyce, the former head of the U.S. embassy in Bangkok, describes a lavish dinner at which Foo Foo entertained guests with his antics. He added that then-Princess Srisasmi "confirmed that the Crown Prince's miniature poodle, Foo Foo, currently holds the rank of Air Chief Marshal."

Foo Foo died at the age of 17 in 2015, and was honoured with a grand four-day funeral before cremation.

He has questionable fashion sense

Vajiralongkorn was photographed wearing a crop-top at an airport in Munich, Germany recently, while accompanied by a young woman holding a poodle. He was also sporting saggy jeans and a fake tattoo sleeve.

The prince has visited Germany many times in the past, and has courted scandal on a few occasions. In 2011, for instance, the German government impounded his personal plane in an effort to force the Thai government to pay a debt. And in 2012, a German newspaper reported that the prince was out buying expensive gifts for a woman the paper named as his wife, who was later revealed to be a mistress.