BANGKOK — In a gilded ceremony set to start at the auspicious time of 10:09 on Saturday morning, with his new queen by his side, King Maha Vajiralongkorn Bodindradebayavarangkun of Thailand will be formally crowned. King Maha Vajiralongkorn, 66, ascended to the throne in 2016, after the death of his father, King Bhumibol Adulyadej, who reigned for seven decades. But the official coronation was delayed for more than two years as the nation mourned the death of his father, who was the longest-serving monarch in the world at the time. Thailand has been rived by political schisms for nearly two decades, and members of the royal family, although considered to be above the cut and thrust of politics, have been drawn into the disorder. Then comes an anointment in which he will be blessed by the sacred water, drawn from locations in India and Thailand representing the eight cardinal directions of the compass.

Source: International New York Times May 03, 2019 09:00 UTC