Drums and a band played as officials in black tops and ancient costumes rehearsed yesterday for the funeral procession of Thailand's late King Bhumibol Adulyadej, whose cremation next week is expected to be attended by a quarter of a million mourners. Some held a mock-up of a golden urn that had held the remains of dead kings in the past. In the present, the king's body is placed in a coffin but the urn is still used to represent the monarch's remains. The procession rehearsal, which was expected to take up to five hours, passed crowds of black-clad mourners in Bangkok's historic quarter.

The king's cremation will take place on October 26. Pics/AFP