Cambodians Line the Streets to Welcome Home 'King-Father Sihanouk'

A sea of mourners lined 10 kilometres of Phnon Penh street to welcome the return home of ex-King Norodom Sihanouk.

Estimates of crowd numbers varied wildly but it seems likely that somewhere between 100,000 and 250,000 mourners stood for hours to watch the procession move from the airport to the Royal Palace.

"I feel very sorry, I want to see him one last time," said Mon Met, 48, who waited at the Royal Palace for his body to arrive.

“He was the father, and we are the children,” said another mourner.

Schools and businesses shut and the young and the old, the rich and the poor came to pay their respects.

Sihanouk will lie in state for 3 months before being cremated.