Self-Crowned

At Bangkok the towering eight-sided throne of Siam was reverently prepared to receive a new occupant, the former Prince Pracha Tipok, brother of the late King Rama IV, who died without leaving a male heir (TIME, Dec. 7), after abolishing the royal harem and breaking the ancient Siamese tradition that the King should marry one of his sisters or at least a half-sister.*

As the nobles grouped themselves about the octagonal throne, King Pracha Tipok, a slim jolly little man, approached with his Queen, whose ample person and wide, placid smile won her much good will when they visited the U. S. (TIME, Oct. 13, 1924) as Prince and Princess.

Ascending the throne, His Majesty sat down successively eight times, each time facing a side of the octagon, each time sprinkled with holy water by the clergy, who invited the eight principal gods of Siam to enter his person. Rising, he walked to another throne, where he placed the crown of Siam upon his head and invited his queen to sit beside him, thus raising her to royal rank. Finally, he proceeded to the great Temple of the Emerald Buddha, renowned among travelers, and there proclaimed himself Defender of the Faith.

*He likewise introduced an extravagant offshoot of the Boy Scouts into Siam and assisted Queen Lakshmi in the creation of Siamese Girl Guides and the Royal Wild Tiger Corps. Since Rama's father, King Chulalongkorn, had left behind him 600 widows, 134 sons and 236 daughters, it was considered highly scandalous that Rama IV had no sons.