They came to see and hear this beloved member of the Thai royal family.

Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn is in Honolulu to celebrate the dedication of this beautiful pavilion.

Thai's call the elegant structure a sala.

"It was his majesty the king's wish to build a sala here at the East-West Center as a symbol of universal hospitality and brotherhood of mankind. The original sala since 1967 has been worn out with time," said Princess Sirindhorn.

The king himself dedicated the original sala 41 years ago.

He authorized this replacement last year.

"His majesty said the pavillions were built with pure human love and good will toward others," said East West Center president Charles Morrison.

As beautiful as the new sala is, the crowd came to see the princess.

"We are exciting to meet her. Some students couldn't sleep because exciting. Even in Thailand we didn't have a chance to meet her like this," said Rojjana Klechayta.

Her royal highness is a highly educated woman, a role model for the thai students here.

She has two master's degrees in history and a PH.D in education.

Plus she speaks at least five languages.

She's also a musician, a writer and a teacher.

"She does a lot of work, social work and a lot of philanthropy. She's been working all the time," said professor Nopamat Vehong.

The princess posed for pictures with East West Center officials and then with Thai alumni who have started a scholarship fund for today's Thai students.

Everyone else waited behind a rope for a close up glimpse of the only member of the Thai royal family they may ever see in person.