Bangkok(CNN) Thailand's parliament says now is an appropriate time for Crown Prince Maha Vajiralongkorn to assume the throne.
"The late King Bhumibol Adulyadej passed away. And the throne is now empty. It is now appropriate to invite the Crown Prince Vajiralongkorn to assume the throne," the speaker of the National Legislative Assembly, Pornpet Vichitchonlachai, said Tuesday.
"For the next step, we shall present the message to the Crown Prince, and invite the Crown Prince to succeed the throne, according to the Palace Law."
The Crown Prince himself now has to formally assume the throne, which is expected to happen later in the week.
Following the King's death in October, Vajiralongkorn said he needed time to "mourn his father" before he took the crown.
Crown Prince Maha Vajiralongkorn handing out an award for a Quran recital competition in Thailand in November.
Thailand still in mourning
The country has been in an official state of mourning since Bhumibol's death.
The monarch was deeply loved in Thailand and his death was a blow to the people he had reigned over for 70 years.
Speaking on the day of his death, one woman told CNN the country had lost their "father."
An official year of mourning was called, with public servants required to wear black as a sign of respect.
Thai King Bhumibol Adulyadej dies at 88
A Thai cyclist prays in front of the Grand Palace in Bangkok on October 16, 2016. Thousands of Thai men and women gather daily in the vicinity of the palace to pray for the late Thai King Bhumibol Adulyadej after his death Thursday.
A Buddhist monk stands next to line of mourners waiting to pay their respects to the body of the late King Bhumibol Adulyadej at the Grand Palace in Bangkok, October 15, 2016.
Devotees light candles for the late Thai King at Mahabodhi temple in Bodhgaya on October 14.
A Thai man carries high an image of Thailand's King Bhumibol Adulyadej as a large crowd floods the streets leading to the Royal Palace on October 14, 2016.
A van carries the body of Thai King Bhumibol Adulyadej's to his palace in Bangkok on October 14.
Thais gathering outside of Siriraj Hospital in Bangkok hold up baht notes with a portrait of Thailand's King Bhumibol Adulyadej on Friday, October 14, in Bangkok, Thailand, following news of his death the previous day.
A flag flies at half-staff outside a government hospital on October 14 in Chiang Mai, Thailand. According to a palace statement, all government buildings will fly the Thai flag at half-staff for 30 days starting on Friday.
Thai Prime Minister General Prayuth Chan-o-cha attends a traditional funeral bathing ceremony for the King at the Grand Palace in Bangkok on Friday.
The Prime Minister arrives to pay respects to the late King at the Grand Palace on October 14.
Dignitaries participate in a ceremony commemorating the King at Wat Phra Singh on Friday in Chiang Mai.
Buddhist monks line up to offer condolences at the Grand Palace in Bangkok on Friday.
People dressed mostly in black wait outside the Grand Palace to pay respects to the King on October 14.
The Thai Royal Guard marches in honor of Thai King Bhumibol Adulyadej on Friday.
Amid a procession of vehicles, a van carries the body of the King to his palace in Bangkok on Friday.
Mourners shade themselves under umbrellas while they await the procession of the King's body to the palace in Bangkok on October 14.
A woman passes out after an official statement announces the death of the king.
People react to news of the King's death outside Siriraj Hospital in Bangkok on Thursday.
A women cries after learning of the King's death on October 13 in Bangkok.
40 year wait
Crown Prince Vajiralonkorn was first introduced to the Thai people through his father's home videos, which were shown in theaters across the country.
Born in July 1952, he was educated in the United Kingdom and Australia before officially being declared the crown prince and heir apparent in 1972.
His older sister, 65-year-old princess Ubol Ratana Rajakanya, cannot take the throne because women are not allowed to become Thailand's monarch under succession laws.
Vajiralongkorn has been married three times -- to Soamsawali Kitiyakara in 1977, Yuvadhida Polpraserth in 1994 and Srirasmi Suwadee in 2001.