Tens of thousands of black-clad Thais paid their last respects to the king`s sister at a lavish funeral ceremony Saturday, a brief spell of unity amid a political crisis in the Buddhist kingdom.

Hundreds of soldiers in crimson outfits, flanked by conch shell-blowers and drummers, pulled a two-centuries-old golden teak carriage bearing the remains of Princess Galyani through the streets of old Bangkok.

On the second and most elaborate day of a six-day cremation ceremony, King Bhumibol Adulyadej will later set light to a purpose-built, gilded pyre for the cremation of Galyani, who died from cancer in January aged 84.

Keeping with the near religious reverence for the monarchy in Thailand, mourners bowed their heads and pressed their hands together in a traditional gesture as the chariot passed.

`I slept here last night because I was afraid I would not get a good place. But it was worth coming here to see our princess,` Somporn Nakhao, 36, from the southern province of Champhon, told AFP.

The crowds wore respectful black clothes in line with government requests. Officials said they numbered in the tens of thousands, while millions more watched live television broadcasts.

`It`s been very hard, but I had to do it,` added Boonkom Chareeruk, 48, who rode a bicycle decorated with a large photograph of Galyani some 350 kilometres (217 miles) from the northeastern province of Kalasin for the funeral.

The street vendor said he planned to return for celebrations to mark the king`s 81st birthday on December 5.

Between the funeral and the king`s birthday there is expected to be a lull in the months of political turmoil that have gripped Thailand, but after that feuding is expected to resume.

Protesters have occupied the main official buildings in Bangkok since August, refusing to leave until the resignation of the government, which they accuse of acting as a front for ousted premier Thaksin Shinawatra.

The demonstrations exploded into violence on October 7, with two demonstrators killed and nearly 500 people injured after clashes with police.

But as a mark of respect for the princess -- a popular former French teacher and the monarch`s elder sister -- the anti-government demonstrators agreed at the last minute to clear a road on the funeral route.

Ancient Thai music wailed as three processions involving 2,000 troops accompanied the 14-tonne chariot carrying the urn containing the princess`s body from the royal throne hall, where she had lain in state for 10 months.

Crown Prince Maha Vajiralongkorn, representing the ageing Thai king, and embattled Prime Minister Somchai Wongsawat wore white ceremonial dress for the procession towards a parade ground where the cremation will take place.

Cannons boomed at one-minute intervals.

Costing at least 300 million baht (8.9 million dollars), it is the first full royal funeral here since 1996 when the king`s mother was cremated.

The pyre is the most spectacular of dozens of temporary funeral buildings at the site, a 39-metre (128-foot) tower modelled on Mount Meru, a mythical Buddhist site said to be at the centre of the universe.

After the cremation, the funeral buildings will be torn down because they are reminders of the death of a beloved royal.

But Thailand`s political convulsions will be more difficult to erase.

There are no signs of retreat from the People`s Alliance for Democracy (PAD), the group leading the protests and which accuses Somchai`s government of acting as a corrupt front for his brother-in-law Thaksin.

Thaksin was toppled in a bloodless coup in 2006.

Thailand`s monarchy officially plays no political role, but when the king`s wife Queen Sirikit donated thousands of dollars towards medical expenses and attended the funeral of one of the people killed in last month`s protests, the demonstrators hailed the move as proof of royal support.