BANGKOK: Thailand's queen will not attend a rare address by King Bhumibol Adulyadej in Bangkok as part of official celebrations for his 85th birthday because of poor health, the Royal Household Bureau said Tuesday.
Doctors treating Queen Sirikit, 80, who was diagnosed with a slight loss of blood flow to the brain after being taken ill in July, advised her to forego the event because of concerns over her having to stand for a prolonged period, according to a statement from the palace.
"Although she has received regular physical therapy, her health has not yet fully recovered. She could be weakened if she appears at this royal occasion and then her recovery will take longer," it said.
Thailand's deeply revered king, who with 66 years of service is the world's longest reigning monarch, was admitted to hospital in September 2009 with a respiratory condition and has lived there ever since.
He suffered a minor brain bleed in July, but has since made several official appearances including meeting Barack Obama during the US president's visit to the country last month
Bhumibol will give a grand audience to an expected crowd of at least 200,000 people at the Anantasamakom Throne Hall in front of the Royal Plaza in Bangkok's historic district on Wednesday.
The square was the site of clashes between police and anti-government demonstrators in November.
The rally -- attended by members of the influential monarchist "Yellow Shirts" -- was the latest street unrest in Thailand's long-running political crisis pitting Thai royalists against supporters of ousted premier Thaksin Shinawatra and the current government led by his sister Yingluck.
Thais eager to get a good view of the monarch began arriving at the Royal Plaza on Tuesday. Many wore yellow, the colour that symbolises Monday, the day of the king's birth.
Any discussion of the royal family is extremely sensitive in Thailand, where the palace has been silent over the organisation of the eventual succession. (AFP)
