BANGKOK, October 22 (Reuters) - A huge crowd of Thais gathered on Saturday outside Bangkok's Grand Palace to sing the royal anthem in honour of King Bhumibol Adulyadej, who died on Oct. 13 after seven decades on the throne.
The government has declared a year of mourning for the 88-year old king, who was seen as a father figure for generations of people, and, though a constitutional monarch, a calming influence over the country's often turbulent politics.
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A mourner holds up a picture of Thailand's late King Bhumibol Adulyadej as she waits in line to offer condolences at the Grand Palace in Bangkok, Thailand, October 18, 2016. REUTERS/Athit Perawongmetha[/caption]
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Mourners gather outside the Grand Palace to pay respects to the late King Bhumibol Adulyadej in Bangkok, Thailand, October 17, 2016. REUTERS/Chaiwat Subprasom[/caption]
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People weep for Thailand's late King Bhumibol Adulyadej as they wait on the roadside while his body is moved from Siriraj hospital, where he died, to the Grand Palace, in Bangkok, Thailand, October 14, 2016. REUTERS/Chaiwat Subprasom[/caption]
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12 June 2006: Thailand's Crown Prince Maha Vajiralongkorn greets Britain's Prince Andrew as King Bhumibol Adulyadej and Queen Sirikit look on at Ananda Samakhom Throne Hall in Bangkok, during the Thai monarch's Diamond Jubilee celebrationsReuters[/caption]
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9 March 2005: Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra prostrates himself before a picture of Thai King Bhumibol Adulyadej after receiving the royal commandReuters[/caption]
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29 September 2010: Thailand's revered King Bhumibol Adulyadej goes for a concert at Siriraj Hospital in BangkokDamir Sagolj/Reuters[/caption]
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19 October 2003: US President George W Bush toasts with Thailand's King Bhumibol Adulyadej as they take part in a State Dinner at the Royal Grand Palace in BangkokJason Reed/Reuters[/caption]
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4 November 1999: King Bhumibol Adulyadej sits on the Royal Barge during a procession on the Chao Phraya River in Bangkok to celebrate his 72nd birthdayReuters[/caption]
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25 November 1996: King Bhumibol Adulyadej shakes hands with US First Lady Hillary Rodham Clinton as President Bill Clinton looks on during their meeting at Chitrlada Palace in BangkokReuters[/caption]
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25 November 1996: King Bhumibol Adulyadej shakes hands with US First Lady Hillary Rodham Clinton as President Bill Clinton looks on during their meeting at Chitrlada Palace in BangkokReuters[/caption]
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5 December 2011: Thailand's King Bhumibol Adulyadej leaves Siriraj Hospital for the Grand Palace in BangkokDamir Sagolj/Reuters[/caption]
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8 August 1988: Thailand's King Bhumibol Adulyadej is visited by Britain's Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher at Chitralada Palace in BangkokReuters[/caption]
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19 July 1960: King Bhumibol Adulyadej and wife Queen Sirikit Kitiyakara pose with Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh at Buckingham Palace in LondonGamma-Keystone via Getty Images[/caption]
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1945: Bhumibol Adulyadej with Princess Mother Sri Sangwal and Princess Galyani Vadhana at the Villa Vadhana, their private residence in Lausanne, SwitzerlandBureau of the Royal Household, Kingdom of Thailand[/caption]
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1929: Mom Sangwal Mahidol na Ayudhya with her children Prince Bhumibol Adulyadej (centre), Prince Ananda Mahidol and Princess Galyani VadhanaBureau of the Royal Household, Kingdom of Thailand[/caption]
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22 October 2003: Russian President Vladimir Putinand his wife Lyudmila pose with Thai King Bhumibol Adulyadej and Queen Sirikit at the Grand Palace in BangkokGrigory Dukor/Reuters[/caption]
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28 October 1996: Royal guards shade Queen Elizabeth II and King Bhumibol Adulyadej from the sun during a welcoming ceremony at Bangkok military airport during the British royals' five-day visit to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the Thai king's accession to the throneReuters[/caption]
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5 December 1999: King Bhumibol Adulyadej, Crown Prince Maha Vajiralongkorn and Queen Sirikit appear on a balcony of Anantasamakom Throne Hall to mark the king's 72nd birthdayPornchai Kittiwongsakul/AFP[/caption]
People dressed in black travelled by bus, boat and on foot to Sanam Luang, a tree-lined open space that has been used for royal cremations outside the river-side Grand Palace, bringing the area to gridlock well before the singing.
Police said more than 150,000 were in Sanam Luang and side streets with more people expected through the day.
The royal anthem, known as Sansoen Phra Barami, is played before the screening of every cinema show in Thailand, when the audience stands to honour the king as pictures of his life and work are shown on the screen.
Saturday's singing was recorded for use in cinemas, organisers said.
"Since he went to heaven we want all Thais to demonstrate their love and sing this song to show before film screenings," Prince Chatri Chalerm Yukol, a movie director in charge of the filming of the singing, told reporters.
Since the king died, people from across Thailand have flocked to the gilded Grand Palace to pay homage to the only king most of them have ever known, who is lying in state there.
Buddhist monks have been chanting prayers beside his coffin in an imposing throne hall, and they will chant for 100 days as part of the funeral rites.
"I wanted to be here to pay respects to His Majesty," said Haysri Watanakulpipat, 47, who said she drove overnight from the eastern province of Prachinburi.
The military government has not set a date for the royal cremation but it is expected in about a year.
The government has said Crown Prince Maha Vajiralongkorn will ascend the thrown soon but he had requested that his succession be delayed for an unspecified period, so he can grieve with the people.
The government has moved to quash uncertainty surrounding the succession and to reassure the country that the king's death will not derail plans for a return to democratic rule, which include a general election in late 2017.
It has stressed business and government should carry on as normal and tourism should not be affected.
Police said they expected more people at Sanam Luang through the day.
"There are more than 150,000 people here already but it could easily rise to 250,000 by the evening," Thai deputy police spokesman Major General Songpol Wattanachai told Reuters.
The Grand Palace is a former royal residence that is used only on ceremonial occasions.
The royal anthem was the national anthem of what was then Siam until 1932, when young army officers and bureaucrats staged a coup to end absolute monarchy.
