It was a day of parades, ancient rituals, Buddhist chanting and gold as far as the eye could see. For its first coronation in seven decades, Thailand pulled out all the stops.
In an elaborate ceremony that fused Buddhist and Hindu Brahmin rituals, King Maha Vajiralongkorn was doused with holy water, had the royal crown placed on his head and received a symbolic nine-tiered umbrella vesting him as King Rama X of Thailand.
Issuing his first command after being crowned on Saturday, the king vowed to “continue, preserve and build upon the royal legacy” and to “reign with righteousness for the benefit and happiness of the people forever”.
The ceremony, which cost upwards of £23m, is hugely significant in Thailand, for it is not until the king has received the holy ablutions and anointment that he is fully consecrated as Devaraja, or “god-king”, and can take on his title as the upholder of Buddhism.
Images of the king had been plastered across buildings throughout Thailand in recent weeks, and Bangkok was a sea of royal yellow flowers, flags, ribbons and bunting.
The morning coronation ceremony, held at the Grand Palace in Bangkok, began with the ritual of ablution, known as Song Muratha Bhisek or royal purification, where the king, dressed in a simple white robe and white slippers, was blessed with holy water taken from five rivers and four ponds in Thailand.
This was followed by an anointing ritual, where eight senior figures, including the prime minister, Prayut Chan-ocha, the chief justice of the supreme court and the chief brahmin, poured water on the king’s hands.
Finally, in a slightly newer ritual influenced by western coronation traditions and introduced by King Rama IV, who ruled from 1851, a gold crown weighing more than 7kg was placed on Vajiralongkorn’s head, symbolising the king’s possession of the kingdom.
The king was later carried to the Temple of the Emerald Buddha on a palanquin held on the shoulders of soldiers.
Present at the coronation ceremony was the king’s new wife, Suthida Tidjai, a former Thai Airways hostess. The couple wed three days ago in a surprise ceremony so that she could be named queen at the coronation. After Vajiralongkorn received the crown, his bride knelt before him and he anointed her as Queen Suthida.
Hundreds of people gathered outside the royal palace, all dressed in matching yellow polo shirts, the auspicious colour of the monarchy. Free transport had been provided for those who wished to travel from across the country to pay their respects, and complimentary meals of fried chicken and rice were handed out to the crowds.
Earn Noo, 68, and Vad Phusouggree, 54, had made an eight-hour journey from the southern Thai province of Phatthalung and said the ceremony had brought them to tears. “It was so beautiful,” said Vad, clutching her chest in emotion. “I love the king and I wanted to be here today to show him how much I love him, as much as I love his father, King Rama IX. I know that he loves the people, that he will look after us.”
The coronation came more than two years after Vajiralongkorn ascended the throne following the death of his father, King Bhumibol, whose legacy is still omnipresent in Thailand. So far, Vajiralongkorn’s reign has differed considerably from that of Bhumibol, who was seen as pious and a man of the people. Vajiralongkorn has been married four times, has seven children and has been far less present in public life, spending most of his time in Munich, Germany, where he owns a £10m villa on Lake Starnberg.
“We would love the king to come to the countryside and visit the people like his father King Rama IX often did,” said Rojana Sonam, 53, who had travelled for four hours from Khon Kaen, in in the north-eastern region of Isaan, to attend the coronation celebrations. “I loved King Rama IX and so I love his son, but we do not know him very well. But my hope is that he will develop the country.”
Significantly, the coronation was held just over a month on from Thailand’s first election in eight years, which was supposed to mark a return of democracy after five years of military junta rule but instead left the country in a state of political limbo. The official election result is still undeclared and allegations of vote-rigging and persecution of pro-democracy political parties have cast a shadow over the vote.
Political instability is nothing new in Thailand, from the communist movement of the 1970s and 1980s to the pro-democracy movement that emerged in the early 2000s. Bhumibol, who portrayed himself as above politics – though this was not always the case – was revered by most Thais as the only stabilising figure who could unite all factions.
Since his death, the country appears to have split between those who see the new king as a great unifier, and others who believe that if Thailand is to become a modern democracy, his role in public life should be more ceremonial.
Crucially, Vajiralongkorn is protected from criticism by some of the strictest lese-majesty laws in the world, which make the offence punishable by up to 15 years in jail. More than 90 people are believed to have been charged with the offence since 2014, though since Vajiralongkorn ascended the throne, prosecutions under the law have dropped.
Suwit Ekkawat was among those who had come to the royal palace to observe the coronation out of curiosity. “The Thai people have a deep and long relationship with the monarchy, it is part of our culture,” said Suwit. “But I also hope King Rama X is a new era for Thailand. I think we need change and democracy, and I think the monarchy and politics needs to be kept separate for us to make that progress.”
Since 2016 Vajiralongkorn has taken multiple steps to consolidate his power and wealth, from taking ownership of the country’s crown property bureau, worth an estimated £30bn, to pushing for changes to the constitution to give him greater executive powers.
He publicly intervened twice in the recent election, first forbidding his older sister, Princess Ubolratana, running for prime minister and then, on the eve of the vote, urging citizens to vote for the “good people”, widely seen as push for the pro-military ruling party.
In a speech at the royal residence after his coronation, Vajiralongkorn called for national unity.
The ablution and anointment rituals of Saturday were the beginning of three days of celebrations and rituals marking the coronation. On Sunday, Vajiralongkorn will lead a procession through Bangkok and visit some of the capital’s most sacred temples. On Monday, he will greet the people from the balcony of the Grand Palace.