Armed soldiers and riot police patrolled the deserted streets of Nepal's capital, Kathmandu, yesterday.
A 12-hour curfew had been imposed at noon to avert violent protests over opposition to the Himalayan kingdom's newly-installed King Gyanendra.
City authorities announced the curfew a few hours after lifting another imposed overnight, to control rioting mobs who demanded to know the truth behind last Friday's massacre of 10 members of Nepal's royal family, including King Birendra and Queen Aishwarya.
The death toll in the mysterious massacre rose to 10 when Dhirendra Shah, the youngest brother of the new king died in hospital early yesterday morning. Dhirendra had renounced his claim to royalty after marrying a foreigner in 1989 and had recently returned to make up with his family and resume his title.
Kathmandu's main streets were deserted but clusters of angry people gathered in neighbourhoods across the city, threatening to oppose the new king. They accused him of complicity in the killing of his older brother and of wiping out his entire line.
"We will not let the king rule," said Mr Deepak Shrisht, of Pattan Dhoka, a prosperous Kathmandu suburb. "The public will decide who rules over them," he added.
Meanwhile, the three-member investigation panel set up by King Gyanendra to investigate the killings suffered a setback after one of its members - the opposition and Marxist party leader, Mr Madhava Kumar Nepal - refused to be a part of the inquiry. "Our party is unable to agree with the process under which the inquiry panel was set up," a Marxist party statement said. The inquiry is to submit its findings later this week.
Immediately after the killings at a royal family dinner, Nepal's Deputy Prime Minister said Crown Prince Dipendra had gunned his family down following a dispute over his choice of bride before shooting himself.
He lay in hospital in a coma for two days - during which he was proclaimed king - but died early on Monday morning. His uncle then became Nepal's king. In his first television address to an angry and grieving nation, prevented by the curfew from rioting, King Gyanendra appealed to the Nepalese people's loyalty to his Shah dynasty that has ruled Nepal for over 120 years.
"It has been the tradition of the Shah dynasty to rule the country on the basis of people's aspirations and support," he said. "I am confident that I will receive the co-operation from all to fulfil this commitment," he added.
But the speech did little to appease hostility towards the new king.
His son, Prince Paras, is known for his drunken behaviour and for killing a popular folk singer and a taxi-driver in hit-and-run accidents.
Locals were also upset by King Gyanendra's explanation of the killings.
He said an automatic rifle had "exploded", shooting each one in turn.
Flags flew at half staff at the United Nations and the 15 UN Security Council members stood in a moment of silence yesterday for Nepal's late king and queen as well as their son.
The UN Secretary-General, Mr Kofi Annan, went to the Kingdom of Nepal's UN mission to sign two books of condolences, one for each of the kings, his spokesman said.