PHNOM PENH (AFP) - Cambodia's new King Norodom Sihamoni arrived home to a huge welcome by thousands of his subjects, less than a week after he was appointed to the throne vacated by his revered father.
Thousands of flag-waving schoolchildren along with government and military officials and diplomats greeted the new monarch and his parents, retired king Norodom Sihanouk and former queen Monineath.
The new shaven-headed king and his father, who appeared in good health, walked hand-in-hand from their chartered plane -- shaded from the tropical heat by umbrellas -- to be welcomed by top leaders.
Prime Minister Hun Sen, who crucially backed Sihamoni's selection as monarch, headed the welcome party along with the new king's half-brother Prince Norodom Ranariddh and other senior ministers. They knelt in respect as they greeted the royals.
Phnom Penh was in celebratory mood, with welcome banners festooned along its leafy boulevards and newly-erected portraits of the unmarried, 51-year-old King Sihamoni dotted at several bustling intersections.
The ex-ballet dancer, who recently quit his 11-year post as Cambodia's ambassador to the UN's cultural agency, is barely known by his 13 million subjects because he has spent most of his life outside the kingdom.
Traditional Khmer plays and dances, along with Chinese dragon dances, were planned in several locations to coincide with the arrival.
After the red-carpet welcome, the three royals were due to be whisked along a route packed with schoolchildren to the palace, whose high yellow walls were freshly painted ahead of its new monarch taking up residence.
The schoolchildren and civil servants were given the afternoon off to get a glimpse of their new monarch and welcome the old.
The larger-than-life Sihanouk, who has been synonymous with Cambodian modern history and politics since he ascended the throne in 1953, abdicated on October 7, stunning the nation.
He cited worsening health and a fear of bloody factional brawling if he died without a successor already in place. Analysts said he appeared also to have secured the future of the monarchy after his death.
Although the constitution does not provide for abdication, normally slow-paced lawmakers quickly passed legislation allowing for his successor to be appointed within a seven-day deadline by a throne council.
The appointment of Sihamoni, the only surviving son of the former king and queen, went unusually smoothly for Cambodia, where stability remains fragile after decades of intermittent conflict that formally ended in 1998.
A small coronation ceremony is slated for October 29.
The return home of Sihanouk also marks the symbolic end of a year-long political crisis that led to him staying in self-imposed exile in China.
He left for regular medical treatment in January but stayed away after losing his traditional role as national deal-maker. Political parties ignored his advice on forming a government after inconclusive July 2003 polls.
Sihanouk has said he plans to educate Sihamoni about his new royal role. He is expected to continue his criticism of the government despite saying he will quietly retire.
Lawmakers paid tribute to Sihanouk and Monineath before their arrival, awarding them new royal titles.
Sihanouk will be known as His Royal Majesty Norodom Sihanouk, Greatest Hero King, the Great Royal Father of National Independence, Territorial Integrity and Unity.