In 1956, HRH Crown Prince Maha Vajiralongkorn entered kindergarten at the age of four at the Chitralada School in Dusit Palace.
The school was established in 1955 by his father to provide education for the prince and princesses as well as the children of palace officials.
After graduating from Mathayom 1 (Grade 7) at the school, the Crown Prince pursued further study in the United Kingdom. From January to September 1966, he received elementary education at King's Mead School in Seaford, Sussex, and later completed secondary education at Millfield School in Somerset in July 1970.
The Crown Prince expressed his fondness for military affairs, so His Majesty King Bhumibol Adulyadej let him attend a five-week military course at the King's School in Sydney, Australia, in August 1970.
In 1972, he entered the Royal Military College, Duntroon, in Canberra, Australia. The college's curriculum was divided into two parts: a military training course designed by the Australian Army and a bachelor's degree under the supervision of the University of New South Wales.
He graduated from the college in 1976 with the rank of lieutenant and a degree in liberal arts.
The Crown Prince's military training was later enhanced with courses in unconventional warfare and advanced navigation training in the United States, UK and Australia. He is also a qualified military plane and helicopter pilot.
After returning to Thailand, he served as a career officer in the Royal Thai Army (RTA) and attended the Command and General Staff College in 1977. He also served as a staff officer in the Directorate of Army Intelligence and later became head of the King's Bodyguard Battalion in 1978.
The Crown Prince also pursued another bachelor's degree in law and graduated with second-class honours from Sukhothai Thammathirat Open University in 1982.
He later enrolled on a Commercial Pilot Licence (CPL) course at the Civil Aviation Training Centre and received his commercial pilot's licence. In 2004, he passed an Airline Transport Pilot Licence (ATPL) course at Thai Airways International Plc (THAI).
In 2005, the Crown Prince earned his wings as a Boeing 737-400 pilot. According to a Public Relations Department report, the Crown Prince received the pilot certificate from the Department of Civil Aviation.
The report reads: "His Royal Highness is now a 'borrowed' pilot from Royal Thai Airways International, in accordance with the agreement between the Royal Thai Air Force and Thai Airways International on Aug 9, 2004."
In May 2009, he achieved 3,000 hours of commercial flight time on the Boeing 737-400.
Then, he held the ranks of general in the Royal Thai Army, admiral in the Royal Thai Navy and air chief marshal in the Royal Thai Air Force.
