---

Aboard a golden royal barge, King Maha Vajiralongkorn was ferried along the river winding through the oldest part of Bangkok on Thursday, as thousands of loyal Thais gathered along the banks of the Chao Phraya River to see the final ritual of his coronation.

King Vajiralongkorn, also known as King Rama X, was formally crowned in May, during three days of ceremonies filled with ancient Brahmin and Buddhist rituals, but the barge procession marks the monarch's last journey in his ascent to the throne.

As part of a near seven-century-old tradition, the king's vessel was positioned in the centre of a procession of 52 gold-painted barges, and the king was accompanied by Queen Suthida Bajrasudhabimalalakshana and his 14-year-old son, Prince Dipangkorn Rasmijoti, on one barge, while his two daughters were on another.