The romantic moments when Their Majesties the King and Queen held each other's hand during the official celebrations marking his 60th anniversary on the throne have become a popular topic on the Net, even though the event has now passed.

In one brief but memorable moment, Her Majesty put her hand in His Majesty's and the couple held on to each other the whole time while waiting to welcome their guests to the royal banquet at the new Rama IX Throne Hall last week.

Among Net surfers, the impressions given about the snapshot are second only to those of the moment when Their Majesties appeared on the balcony of the Ananta Samakhom Throne Hall on June 9.

Many Net users at www.pantip.com said the intimate moment deeply touched the hearts of Thai people and brought a smile to their faces.

And the pictures of the moment caught on TV have been sampled and posted over and over during the past few days.

"It was an unforgettable moment. It warmed my heart, seeing that," read one comment.

"I was so happy to see Her Majesty put her hand in His Majesty's ... you could just tell how much they love each other," read another.

The topics also brought about the retelling of some of the couple's love stories.

A favourite is the story of the newly crowned King Bhumibol who had just finished his degree in Switzerland and was spending a lot of his leisure time in Paris where he met Mom Rajawongse Sirikit Kitiyakara.

MR Sirikit was the daughter of the Thai ambassador to France.

It must have been love at first sight for the King who became a frequent visitor to the ambassador's house after that.

However, his affection for the young woman was kept a secret until it was revealed shortly after the King had a car accident on a Swiss road.

Speaking in a TV interview with the BBC in 1978 in the documentary film "Khwan Khong Chat" (The Heart of the Nation), the Queen once retold a story.

The Queen said she first realised HM had strong feelings for her when he was hospitalised in Lausanne.

The moment he regained consciousness, he took her photo from his pocket, clutching it close to his heart.

"I didn't know until then he even had my photo," she said.

"Later, he asked after me. He is in love with me.

"At that time I could only think of one thing - to stay with the person I love," she said.

"I had not thought that far about my duty or work as a queen."

King Bhumibol and MR Sirikit were quietly engaged in Lausanne on July 19, 1949. They married on April 28, 1950, in the Sa Pathum Palace, just one week before His Majesty's coronation.

Their Majesties' tale of love has never failed to impress the nation - from when they first met until now.

"Since the royal marriage, Her Majesty has always been by His Majesty's side and worked hard for the sake of their people," said one posting on www.pantip.com.