Asia

Thai king wrapping up coronation with audience for public

Associated Press
Published | Updated

Thai people sit on a side-road, anticipating access to Suddhaisavarya Prasad Hall, in which Thailand's King Maha Vajiralongkorn scheduled to grant a public audience in Bangkok, Thailand, Monday, May 6, 2019. King Maha Vajiralongkorn was officially crowned amid the splendor of the country's Grand Palace, taking the central role in an elaborate centuries-old royal ceremony that was last held almost seven decades ago.(AP Photo/Gemunu Amarasinghe)

A Thai man with amulets and a sticker with a tag number related to security clearance around his neck sits on a side oad, anticipating access to Suddhaisavarya Prasad Hall where Thailand's King Maha Vajiralongkorn is scheduled to grant a public audience in Bangkok, Thailand, Monday, May 6, 2019. King Vajiralongkorn was officially crowned amid the splendor of the country's Grand Palace, taking the central role in an elaborate centuries-old royal ceremony that was last held almost seven decades ago. (AP Photo/Gemunu Amarasinghe)

Thailand's King Maha Vajiralongkorn is wrapping up three days of coronation ceremonies with appearances before the public and the diplomatic corps.

Vajiralongkorn succeeded to the throne after the 2016 death of his father, King Bhumibol Adulyadej, who reigned for seven decades. His formal coronation on Saturday, involving a series of elaborate, centuries-old rituals rooted in Buddhist and Brahmanic traditions, established his status as a full-fledged monarch with complete regal powers.

His planned Monday afternoon appearance on a balcony at the Grand Palace will be the second time the public can see him directly since his coronation. On Sunday night he was carried on a golden palanquin in a spectacular 6 1/2-hour procession through Bangkok's historic quarter.