A huge crowd, most wearing yellow shirts, showed up today (Sunday) in front of the Grand Palace, to greet Their Majesties the King and Queen and members of the Royal Family as they were attending a traditional ceremony at the Temple of the Emerald Buddha, to change the robe of the Buddha statue.

After the ceremony, Their Majesties and members of the Royal Family left the palace to meet well-wishers, who greeted the Monarch with constant chants of “Long Live the King”.

HM the Queen was all smiles, as she and HM the King walked among their subjects, talked to several of them and accepted their donations. The Royal couple spent quite some time with the people in an unprecedented “walkabout”.

The gathering was in response to calls by staunch royalists, such as Dr. Warong Degitvigrom of the Thai Pakdee group, Buddha Isara and the twin brothers Bin and Aekkapant Banluerith, former actors, to protect the Thai Monarchy, as anti-establishment protesters demand sweeping reforms of the institution.

Bin earlier quit the Por Teck Toeng Foundation, where he worked as a rescuer for over a decade, after the foundation came under fierce online criticism by anti-establishment protesters over his remark that he would “slap the head” of the protester who raised a middle-finger at the Royal motorcade on October 14th, if he had been there.

Bin said that he was overjoyed to see so many gathering today to greet Their Majesties and showing their support for the country’s Monarchy.