ABSTRACT
The Installation of Queen Rambai Barni took place immediately after the General Audience on Coronation Day, 25th February, 1926. Queen Rambai Barni is a cousin of the King, but under the old regime a Siamese king had three possible choices when he selected a queen. He could promote a favourite concubine, the most usual procedure; he could marry a half-sister or even a full-sister; or he could invite or accept the offer of a foreign princess. The Queen then sat beside the King on a Royal Chair, and, after receiving the congratulations and homage of the ladies, they retired to the Royal Residence scattering riches. Queen Rambai Barni, on the occasion of her Installation, wore a diadem and ancient queenly dress, of which it is particularly interesting to note that it included the sarong, the classical lower garment of the Khmers, and still worn by modern Cambodian and Siamese dancers.
