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As part of the jubilee celebration, the King
gave each of the royal guests a gold coin at the
end of the state dinner as a souvenir.
One side of the gold coin features the Thai flag
and the flag of the nation that the royal guest
represents.
The other side of the coin illustrates the royal
projects of His Majesty.
Hand in hand, Their Majesties the King and Queen
welcomed the royal guests from 25 nations to the
Chakri Throne Hall and its new extension, the
Borommaratcha-sathit Maholan Throne Hall, where
they enjoyed a glamorous state dinner to mark
His Majesty's 60 years as King.
The Chakri Throne Hall, in the Grand Palace compound,
was illuminated with glittering lights, showing
off its marvellous structure. The palace, built
during the reign of King Chulalongkorn, is a combination
of European-style architecture with a Thai castle-like
top. It is inside this palace that King Chulalongkorn
signed an end to slavery in Siam more than 100
years ago.
It was a night of formality and splendour, that
started with the arrival of Their Majesties the
King and Queen and the other members of the Royal
Family at about 7.45pm, as they got ready to welcome
the kings, queens and royal representatives from
25 countries for the state dinner.
The royal banquet capped the grand celebrations
of the King's 60th anniversary on the throne.
On Monday, the royal guests attended a reception
party at the Ananta Samakhom Throne Hall before
going to watch the historic Royal Barge Procession
down the Chao Phya River. They also enjoyed an
exhibition of the King's royal projects at the
Royal Navy Convention Centre.
Last night, the King wore a royal uniform, while
the Queen was dressed in glittering black with
a shiny crown on her head. They stood inside the
main hall of the Chakri Throne Hall to greet the
royal guests one by one. At the entrance of the
throne hall, HRH Crown Prince Vajiralongkorn and
HRH Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn stood by to
welcome the royal guests before they were led
in to greet Their Majesties.
After the greetings, the royal guests proceeded
to an inner chamber awaiting all to arrive before
they headed in for the state dinner.
Like the royal reception on Monday, the first
royal guest to arrive was Sayyid Shihab bin Tariq
Taimou Al Said, adviser to the Sultan of Oman.
And the last to arrive were Sultan Haji Hassanal
Bolkiah Muizzaddin Waddaulah and Raja Isteri Pengiran
Anak Hajah Saleha of Brunei.
The overall dress of the kings, queens and royal
representatives looked even more formal and glamorous
than that worn for Monday's royal reception.
Crown Prince Philippe of Belgium wore a dark uniform,
while Princess Mathilde looked elegant in a beautiful
white gown and her ever-present smile.
Crown Prince Haakon and Princess Matte-Merit of
Norway were also a handsome couple. The prince
wore a dark uniform suit, while the princess wore
a red dress.
The Prince of Orange, Willem-Alexander, also appeared
in full uniform, while Princess Maxima of the
Netherlands wore a long white dress with pink
flowers.
Again, Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck of Bhutan
was dressed in his traditional robe.
Princess Lalla Salma of Morocco looked as beautiful
as ever with her long curled hair and a stunning
red dress.
Queen Sofia of Spain, who wore a diamond crown,
did not kiss His Majesty the King - as she did
on Monday during the reception party. But she
did give a slight kiss to the cheek of Queen Sirikit.
Emperor Akihito of Japan wore a long-tailed suit
with decorations while Empress Michiko was dressed
in white skirt and dark blouse.
King Carl Gustaf and Queen Silvia of Sweden looked
very comfortable - they have been frequent travellers
to Thailand, formally and informally. The king
wore a white royal uniform, while the queen wore
a light purple gown with a broad collar.
Their Majesties led the royal guests to attend
the state dinner in the Borommaratchasathit Maholan
Throne Hall, which was completed for these celebrations.
The building looked splendid with a Thai-style
roof, three storeys above the ground and two storeys
of basements. The state dinner was held on the
second floor. The third floor is reserved for
welcoming royal guests on important state visits.
The first floor is the entrance and connected
with the Chakri Throne Hall.
During the state dinner, the King expressed his
thanks to the royal guests for taking part in
the jubilee celebration. Sultan Haji Hassanal
Bolkiah Muizzaddin Waddaulah, the most senior
monarch in terms of years on the throne, spoke
on behalf of other royal guests to give a blessing
to the King. The Sultan has ruled Brunei for 49
years.
As part of the jubilee celebration, the King gave
each of the royal guests a gold coin at the end
of the state dinner as a souvenir. One side of
the gold coin features the Thai flag and the flag
of the nation that the royal guest represents.
The other side of the coin illustrates His Majesty's
royal projects.
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