On January 23, local time, King Rama X of Thailand, Maha Vajiralongkorn, celebrated the arrival of the Lunar New Year.
On Lunar New Year's Day, the 70-year-old King and his queen Suthida joined the Chinese New Year ritual at Amphorn Sathan Throne Hall in Bangkok's Grand Palace.
The royal family of Thailand is of Chinese descent, dating back to the time of Emperor Zhengxin, who was later honored as "King Zheng" from Chaoshan in Guangdong. In the subsequent dynasties, there were also many queens and concubines of Chinese descent. Queen Suthida, 44, is half Chinese, and her mother is Chinese.
During the ritual and blessing activities, the Thai king and queen showed great devotion, apparently they valued their Chinese ancestors.
Usually, you can't see the king "on his knees", but more often it shows the picture of others kneeling at his feet.
Unlike previous years, Suthida, who ushered in the Year of the Rabbit, did not wear a traditional Chinese cheongsam, but the scarlet embroidered dress also looked quite festive, full of a strong festive atmosphere.
Despite this, the Thai royal family's Spring Festival festival this year still seems deserted, after all, only the king and queen of Thailand participated.
The noble lady Srinina was there the year before, but after that she rarely appeared in public, and was supposedly sent to Germany, probably to make Suthida "out of sight and out of mind".
Although there is no Shinina, the eldest daughter of the King of Thailand, Princess Pacharajti Yapa, has always been there, and last year the "family of three" stood together joyfully, talking and laughing very happy, but unfortunately this year even she is gone.
Princess Pa, who is only a few months younger than Suthida, lies in the Chulalongkorn Memorial Hospital in Bangkok, where she was admitted more than a month ago, in a coma and has not woken up until now.
Regarding Princess Phra's condition, the Thai royal family issued only three statements and said nothing more, admitting that the princess was "unconscious" and now relies on artificial heart and lungs to maintain vital signs, and said it was caused by myocarditis.
More than half a month has passed since the Thai royal family issued its third statement, and Princess Phra is no longer mentioned as if she has been "forgotten". There is speculation that the matter about Princess Pa may be announced after the Spring Festival. Obviously, relying on machines for a long time to sustain life is not an optimistic thing, so the fourth statement is likely to be full of sadness.
Although Thailand has never had a queen, Princess Phra is considered a strong candidate to become crown prince, most likely because her half-brother, 17-year-old Tibanggong, has had autism since childhood and is now known to be attending a special school in Germany.
In fact, among the three children recognized by the King of Thailand, in addition to Princess Pa and Prince Tibanggong, there is also one who is Princess Sirivannavari, who takes the international route.
The 36-year-old Sirivannavari did not appear at the festival, but also posted a set of "Chinese style" photos on the occasion of the Spring Festival, standing under the red lantern dressed in red, and the photo of the princess was very visually striking.
Shrivannavarre also sat in front of a golden screen, and appeared with his two Kexia pet dogs, shaking a fan in his hand and smiling brightly.