Thousands gather in Thai capital to mourn late princess

The body of the Thai king's eldest daughter was brought to the royal palace in Bangkok on Saturday, as thousands of black-clad mourners lined the procession route.



Princess Bajrakitiyabha, known as Princess Bha, died aged 47 on Thursday following an abdominal infection.



She had already spent more than three years in a coma due to a cardiac condition.



"When it comes to saying goodbye, it's not easy for us," mourner Donnapha Kladbupha, a 54-year-old English teacher and self-described royalist.

The monarchy represented "unity" for Thai people during times of distress, she said.



Others queued nearby for their turn to perform a Buddhist ritual of pouring holy water into a ceremonial bowl placed before



Thousands of mostly older mourners sat in sweltering temperatures along the 10km route to the Grand Palace from Chulalongkorn Hospital, where the princess had been treated.



Her body arrived at the palace at around 5pm in a solemn and orderly procession.



Police closed roads and traffic ground to a halt in parts of Bangkok's commercial centre as the royal motorcade passed, led by King Maha Vajiralongkorn and Queen Suthida.



Thailand's public broadcaster Thai PBS reported that the princess's body was carried in the same vehicle that had transported the body of her grandfather, King Bhumibol, who died in October 2016.