His Majesty the King will grant a public audience to members of the Royal Family and government officials on the occasion of Coronation Day, 5 May.
The public audience will take place at Rajapracha Samakhom Pavilion, Klai Kangwol Palace in Hua Hin, Prachuap Khiri Khan Province, at about 10:00 a.m. on 5 May 2014.
Prachuap Khiri Khan Governor Veera Sriwatanatrakul said that preparations are now underway for this special occasion. The Television Pool of Thailand will broadcast the ceremony live to mark the royal coronation anniversary. A total of 12 large LCD screens will be installed on Phetchakasem Road near the palace for well-wishers to watch the audience live.
The landscape around the Klai Kangwol Palace has been improved, with light decorations along both sides of Phetchakasem Road, from Hua Hin Airport to the Hua Hin Municipality Market. Flags and portraits of His Majesty the King are also displayed.
Medical teams, water, and snacks will also be prepared for well-wishers, while security checks will be conducted from the afternoon of 4 May. Parking lots have also been prepared to provide convenience for people travelling to Hua Hin for this occasion.
On the occasion of his 86th birthday anniversary on 5 December 2013, His Majesty will grant an audience to members of the Royal Family and government officials at Rajapracha Samakhom Pavilion within the Klai Kangwol Palace.
On the fifth of May each year, Thailand celebrates Coronation Day, which marks the coronation anniversary of His Majesty King Bhumibol Adulyadej. It is a public holiday in Thailand. His Majesty had a royal coronation ceremony performed in the Grand Palace on 5 May 1950, four years after he actually assumed his kingship in 1946.
After he became King Rama IX in 1946, His Majesty returned to Switzerland to resume his studies at the University of Lausanne. He returned to Thailand in 1950, when the royal coronation ceremony was performed.
By tradition, the royal coronation ceremony signifies the official recognition of the ruling monarch by the entire society. A monarch who has not performed the royal coronation ceremony is regarded as an uncrowned king, referred to by his original name, adding “in charge of the reign,” and accorded a seven-tiered royal umbrella, not the full-honor nine-tiered one. An order from the monarch cannot be called a royal command until a royal coronation ceremony is performed in accordance with ancient royal tradition.
Significantly, at the traditional coronation ceremony on 5 May 1950, His Majesty pronounced the traditional Oath of Accession: “We shall reign with righteousness for the benefits and happiness of the Siamese people.”
