Flanked by royal guards marching to a steady drumbeat, Thailand’s newly-crowned King Maha Vajiralongkorn was carried on a gilded palanquin through the streets of old Bangkok yesterday, in front of crowds who shouted “long live the king!”
The monarch, Rama X of the Chakri dynasty, wore a bejewelled robe and a dark broad-brimmed hat with white feathers, on the second of three days of coronation ceremonies. The seven-kilometre procession brought the public into close proximity with the 66-year-old monarch for the first time, two years after he ascended the throne in an increasingly assertive reign.
“When we looked at our king, he looked very smart and very great,” Bangkok resident Donnapha Kladbupha told AFP, noting that he smiled.
Fronted by riders on white horses, the slow-moving procession started around 5pm (1000 GMT) at the grand palace as trumpets blared, soldiers shouted commands and cannons fired a 21-gun salute.
Early Sunday, Vajiralongkorn bestowed royal titles on family members who crawled to his throne in a striking show of deference to the monarch. He was joined by the new queen of Thailand Suthida Vajiralongkorn na Ayudhya.
As night fell the king stopped to pay homage at several Buddhist temples. Thais wearing yellow shirts, the royal colour and carrying umbrellas to protect against soaring daytime temperatures filled the streets, with many clutching portraits of Vajiralongkorn.
The coronation, which started Saturday, is the first since Vajiralongkorn’s adored and revered father was crowned in 1950. The highlight of Saturday’s sombre ceremonies was the King’s anointment with holy water, before he placed the 7.3 kilogram (16 lbs) golden tiered crown on his head.
The rituals were “unique and reflect the tradition and history of Thailand and the monarchy”, student Thanawat Muangon told AFP. Thailand’s monarchy is one of the wealthiest in the world and is steeped in protocol centring on the king, who is viewed as a demigod.
Vajiralongkorn ascended the throne in 2016 after the death of his long-reigning father Bhumibol Adulyadej. A keen pilot who spends much time abroad in Germany, Vajiralongkorn is not as well known to his subjects.
But any in-depth discussion or criticism of the royal family in Thailand is guarded by harsh lese-majeste rules that carry up to 15 years in prison. All media must self-censor. Queen Suthida was deputy commander of the king’s royal guard before her marriage to Vajiralongkorn, which was announced days before the coronation. During the procession she marched next to the palanquin in red and black uniform with a tall fur hat.