By Surasak Tumcharoen
BANGKOK, May 6 (Xinhua) -- His Majesty King Maha Vajiralongkorn waved and smiled to thousands of people in a brief greeting from a balcony of the Grand Palace on Monday in Thailand.
On the final day of the three-day coronation ceremonies, His Majesty King Maha Vajiralongkorn alongside Her Majesty Queen Suthida showed up on the balcony of Sutthai Sawan Prasart Throne Hall in the Grand Palace to greet the attentive people in yellow shirts and read a message which expressed his wishes for their prosperity and happiness.
The people jubilantly viewed the appearance of the monarch and queen on the balcony and shouted "Long Live the King." On behalf of the government and people, Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha read a message expressing best wishes for the monarch.
Coronation pins were handed out for free to attendees to Monday's ceremony including many who had waited since the wee hours of Sunday.
The king and queen were briefly accompanied on the balcony by the monarch's daughters, namely Her Royal Highness Princess Bajrakitiyabha, and Her Royal Highness Princess Sirivannavari, and his son, namely His Royal Highness Prince Dipangkorn Rasmijoti. From the balcony, the royal family waved and smiled to the enthralled people down below.
On Monday evening, the king granted an audience to 235 diplomats, including ambassadors and consuls attached to Thailand from more than one hundred countries worldwide, at Chakri Maha Prasart Throne Hall of the Grand Palace to receive their best wishes and host a dinner for them.
On Saturday, the first day of the coronation ceremonies, the monarch attended the bathing and anointment ceremonies with sacred water from sacred ponds and other water resources in all 76 provinces nationwide, received a golden sheet with his name and seal inscribed on it and formally ascended to the throne.
On Sunday, the king took a royal procession on board a golden palanquin from the Grand Palace to three royal temples to pay homage to the relics of former kings of Siam (the former name of Thailand), which lasted for some 7 hours. The 6.7-kilometer route of the procession passed several roads in Bangkok's olden quarters, also known as Rattanakosin Island area, lined up on both sides with thousands of jubilant yellow-shirted viewers.
