New Thai king takes vow to ‘reign with righteousness’
KING VAJIRALONGKORN JOINED BY NEW QUEEN SUTHIDA FOR CORONATION
Thai King Maha Vajiralongkorn yesterday completed Buddhist and Brahmin rituals to symbolically transform him into a living deity as the Southeast Asian nation crowned its first monarch in nearly seven decades.
The coronation of King Vajiralongkorn, 66, took place inside the Grand Palace throne hall in Bangkok after a period of official mourning for his revered father, King Bhumibol Adulyadej, who died in October 2016 having reigned for 70 years.
The king was joined by new Queen Suthida after a surprise announcement three days before the coronation that the thrice-divorced monarch had married for a fourth time.
His coronation comes amid the uncertainty of an unresolved election battle between the current military junta chief and a “democratic front” trying to push the army out of politics.
“I shall continue, preserve, and build upon the royal legacy and shall reign with righteousness for the benefit and happiness of the people forever,” the king said in his first royal command, while sitting under a nine-tiered umbrella in full royal regalia, including a gold-enamelled, diamond-tipped crown.
Traditionally uttered after a king is crowned, the king’s first command serves to capture the essence of his reign. The king’s command was similar to that of his father’s.
King Maha Vajiralongkorn also granted Queen Suthida, a former Thai Airways flight attendant and head of his personal bodyguard regiment, her full royal title.
Outside the palace walls, people in yellow polo shirts sat on roadsides, holding up portraits of the king and the national flag as 19th-century canons fired to announce the new reign.
Yellow is the colour of Monday, the day the king was born, and the colour of the sun, which represents the monarch in the cosmos according to Thai culture.
In his first speech to members of the royal family, the Privy Council, and top government officials, among others, the king called for national unity.
■ During Thailand’s main coronation event for King Maha Vajiralongkorn, the monarch was presented with five royal regalia, which are treated as symbols of kingship, marking the legitimacy of his reign. Here are the five royal instruments that will play a vital role in making King Maha Vajiralongkorn, or Rama X, the 10th divine monarch of Thailand’s Chakri dynasty.
THE GREAT CROWN OF VICTORY:
The crown is the most important article among all the royal regalia. Adorned with diamonds set in gold enamel, the crown is 66cm tall and weighs 7.3kg. At the tip of the cone-shaped crown is a large diamond from Kolkata, India, called “Phra Maha Wichian Mani”.
The high-reaching crown symbolises the summit of Mount Meru, the Hindu deity Indra’s abode, and its weight represents the monarch’s royal burden.
THE SWORD OF VICTORY:
The sword is believed to be an ancient sword of the Khmer
Empire, which was lost at the bottom of a lake in Siem Reap until it was caught in a fisherman’s net and later presented to King Rama I. The length of the sword is 89.8cm, including the 64.5cm blade. It weighs 1.9kg when enclosed with the sheath.
It represents the king’s ability to protect his nation.
The 118cm staff, called “Than Phra Kon”, is made of Javanese Cassia wood enamelled in gold. The finial is shaped like a trident gilded with gold, and its iron hilt is also inlaid with gold.
The staff symbolises the righteousness of the king.
THE ROYAL SCEPTRE: THE ROYAL FAN AND FLY WHISK:
The “Walawichani” was originally only a fan made of a palm leaf, with gold-trimmed rim and gold-enamelled rod. The fan and whisk signify the king’s duty to chase away his people’s troubles.
THE ROYAL SLIPPERS:
The curve-tipped slippers, called “Chalong Phrabat Choeng Ngon”, are made of colourful enamelled gold and inlaid with diamonds.
During the coronation ceremony, the chief Brahmin, will put the slippers on the king’s feet. The royal slippers represent the ground of Mount Meru, the abode of Indra. Kneeling in front of her King, Suthida Vajiralongkorn na Ayudhya was invested as Queen yesterday in Bangkok’s Grand Palace.
The newest member of the royal family is the fourth wife of 66-year-old Vajiralongkorn.
But not much is known about his long-time consortturned-queen. Broad biographical details such as her work as a flight attendant and her education at an upper-crust institution have emerged in Thai media.
Suthida does not have the same royal lineage as Vajiralongkorn’s mother Queen Sirikit, who is the great-granddaughter of the Chakri dynasty’s fifth king.
She has “really come from the people”, said Sophie Boisseau du Rocher, Thailand specialist at the French Institute of International Relations. Born on June 3, 1978, she graduated with a Communication Arts degree in 2000 from the Catholic-run Assumption University of Thailand. She then worked as a flight attendant for national carrier Thai Airways. In November 2013, Suthida entered the royal army before becoming part of the monarch’s prestigious security detail.