Loyal subjects crowd park, temple for glimpse of Their Majesties

Loyal subjects crowded a public park and Wat Arun on Sunday to wait for a glimpse of Their Majesties the King and Queen in the afternoon.

Hundreds of people went to 72nd Anniversary Park and Wat Arun from 11am to line up for access at the two main spots where they could watch Their Majesties during the royal Krathin robe-offering ceremony.

Their Majesties presided over the ceremony by the Royal Barge Procession to Wat Arun from 2.30pm on Sunday.

At 11am, hundreds of people stood in a long queue to pass through a checkpoint to enter the park. The queue spilled over into the compound of Siriraj Hospital.

Many people had turned up since morning to wait to pass through the checkpoint at the Wat Arun gate.

The temple started allowing the loyal subjects inside at 11am. Attendees had to show their national ID cards and walk past a scanner before they were allowed inside to sit down in wait for the royal procession.

But the temple had to shut the gate at 12.30pm after all available spaces inside the temple were occupied. Disappointed people had to find other locations where they could observe the royal procession.