The seven-day funeral of Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha begins with the mourning of the body of the owner of Leicester City in royal water

The bereaved have arrived for the funeral of Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha, owner of the city of Leicester, Thailand.

The owner of the Foxes died last Saturday with four other people when his helicopter crashed in front of King Power Stadium.

Thai royalty and sports figures are among the hundreds of mourners who arrived in Bangkok to pay tribute.

It began with a bath ritual using royal water and an eight-sided urn on loan from King Maha Vajiralongkorn, and seven-day recitation ceremonies.

The kings of Thailand have traditionally accorded such honors to the funeral of senior officials or citizens who have dedicated their lives to the good of the country.

Kiatisuk "Zico" Senamuang, a former Thai national football coach and coach who also competed in the Leicester match, told reporters that the football world had lost an important sponsor.

"I am very proud of him … Not only the Thai people, but also football fans around the world mourn his loss," he said.

The funeral is expected to last one week and Leicester boss Claude Puel and several members of his team will travel to Southeast Asia after Saturday's game in Cardiff.

Jamie Vardy, Kasper Schmeichel and captain Wes Morgan are among the players joining Puel. Senior executives are going, but some will stay behind due to personal circumstances.

The club's group is due to return Tuesday ahead of Burnley's next weekend's first home game since the tragedy.

Nusara Suknamai, Kavebad Punpare, pilot Eric Swaffer and his partner Izabela Roza Lechowicz also died in the accident.

Former British international Vardy said Friday that he would remember Srivaddhanaprabha as being more than a president.

He said, "He was an adorable and affectionate guy, always smiling, it was him from day one, when I met him he never changed.

"He was like the father figure of the group, wanting to be like that, not just with the players, but also the fans, to do just one.

"He was not just a president, he always made sure that he did everything possible to know you personally, with your families.

"He welcomed us into his extended family and that's exactly what we did with him.It was one of the most difficult weeks that I and the guys had to live."