Thailand rehearses elaborate $43 million coronation for King Maha Vajiralongkorn. https://t.co/Q17cS3Bo0X pic.twitter.com/9K72uB7MqC— The Straits Times (@STcom) April 28, 2019
BANGKOK (REUTERS) - Forty roads were closed in Bangkok as a band and officers on horseback marched past the Grand Palace on Sunday (April 28) in a dress rehearsal for the next weekend's coronation of King Maha Vajiralongkorn, Thailand's first in nearly seven decades.
King Vajiralongkorn, 66, also known by the title King Rama X, became constitutional monarch after the death of his revered father, King Bhumibol Adulyadej, in October 2016 after 70 years on the throne.
His coronation follows a mourning period for Bhumibol, whose grand funeral was held a year after his death.
The military-run government has set aside 1 billion baht (S$43 million) for coronation ceremonies on May 4-6, about one-third of the cost of the funeral.
The official coronation will be a mix of Buddhist religious ceremonies and Hindu Brahmin rituals. The king will be crowned on May 4, and the procession follows the next day.
On May 6, declared a national holiday, he will meet Thai and foreign dignitaries.
The official coronation will be a mix of Buddhist religious ceremonies and Hindu Brahmin rituals. The king will be crowned on May 4, and the procession follows the next day.
On May 6, declared a national holiday, he will meet Thai and foreign dignitaries.
