Newly crowned Thai King carried by soldiers in elaborate royal procession

King Maha Vajiralongkorn during the procession in Bangkok on Sunday.

Thailand’s newly-crowned King Maha Vajiralongkorn was carried by soldiers on a gilded palanquin through the streets of Bangkok on Sunday, in front of crowds who craned to witness the historic event.

The King, Rama X of the Chakri dynasty, wore a bejewelled robe and broad-brimmed hat with a feather on the second of three days of pageantry and royal splendour.

7-km procession

The seven-km procession brings the public into close proximity with the monarch for the first time, two years after he ascended the throne in an increasingly assertive reign.

It started at around 5 p.m. (1000 GMT) at the grand palace in Bangkok’s old quarter as trumpets blared, soldiers shouted commands and cannons fired a 21-gun salute. The three-day coronation, which started on Saturday, is the first since King Vajiralongkorn’s adored and revered father was crowned in 1950.

Early on Sunday, the king bestowed royal titles on family members who crawled to his throne in a striking show of deference to the monarch, who was joined by his new Queen Suthida.