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DISCLAIMER! Almost all of the links in this article lead to source material, usually the Wiki. I don't expect you to read all of that, unless you are a history buff. There are a few though, that lead elsewhere which might be of interest to some of you. Also, if you're playing the music, it cuts out for 3 minutes, from 1😇6 to 1😇9. It's quite beautiful, appropriate to the article & to Thailand.

It does exist & so much more!

Royal Thailand's history is filled with mystery & myth, with intrigue & war, with loyalty & love. Despite strictly following the traditions of their time, including the long standing practice of having multiple wives & concubines, the sense of duty & love shared by these men & women for their country & their families, was often surpassed by their devotion to someone special.

These royal couples represent a tiny fraction of those who, through the ages, shared one of the strongest human emotions synonymous with romance & in today's culture, linked with Saint Valentine.

In the Ancient Time of Siam

King Somdet Phra Maha Chakkraphat & Queen Somdet Phra Sri Suriyothai

Very little has been recorded about this woman, except that she was more simply known as Suriyothai. She was the royal consort of King Somdet Phra Maha Chakkraphat & she died in battle, during the Burmese siege of Ayutthaya, Capital of Siam, which began in 1548.

Despite their training, women wouldn't normally participate in battles, especially women of noble birth. Presumably because of the immense importance of this battle, Queen Suriyothai with their young daughter seated behind her, rode out on her battle elephant following her husband, with their remaining children, 2 sons & 2 daughters, following both of them onto the battle field.

It's believed that she witnessed an exchange between her husband & the Burmese commander, the Viceroy of Prome. Concerned for his safety, she rode to his defense, blocking the Burmese elephant with her own & taking up the challenge. During the exchange of blows with one of the traditional weapons of the day, the spear or scythe, both she & her young daughter were killed by the Viceroy.

Located in Ayutthaya, King Maha Chakkraphat had the temple Wat Suan Luang Sop Sawan, together with the large white & gold coloured stupa Chedi Phra Sri Suriyothai, specially built as a memorial & a final resting place for his Queen, a significant reflection of the heartfelt emotions that he must have experienced, with the loss of Suriyothai. He died in 1569, aged 60 after 2 separate terms as the reigning monarch & many more battles with the Burmese & their allies.



Considered to be the first heroine in Thai history, Suriyothai's life has recently been commemorated in the 2001 movie, The Legend of Suriyothai. Her selfless act of bravery & her devotion to her husband & country, form the theme & climax of this film. Her character is portrayed by a Thai royal, Mom Luang Piyapas Bhirombhakdi, especially recruited to play the part by the current Queen, Queen Sirikit.



The Royal House of Chakri in Modern Times

King Mongkut or Rama IV & Queen Debsirindra of Siam ca 1853



Queen Debsirindra was one of four main consorts, in addition to the many other wives & concubines of King Mongkut, who himself became an early champion for the rights of women. He released many royal concubines & is also credited with the banning of both forced marriages & the practice of selling wives in repayment of debts.

One of the few photographs known of King Mongkut, shown with his Queen, you have to wonder about the significance of this photo. Maybe it was under Debsirindra's influence, through a mutually genuine affection, that he softened the official policy towards women.

In Thailand, because of his overwhelming acceptance of modern innovations, he is remembered as, the Father of Science & Technology. In contrast, in the West, King Mongkut & his Kingdom of Siam have been romanticized & are best known as the subjects of the film, The King & I, among other films & publications.

King Vajiravudh or Rama VI & Queen Sucharit Suda on their wedding day 1921



Sucharit Suda may look somewhat unhappy, because she was aware that her sister was pregnant with the King's child. Also, the King had recently had two engagements, one in 1920 & another in 1921, both of which were subsequently called off.



Unfortunately for Sucharit Suda, the King had a 3rd. Engagement in 1921, this one to her sister, Indrasakdi Sachi. In 1922 she was elevated to his Queen but sadly, after her 2nd. miscarriage, the King then turned his attention to Suvadhana, whom he married in 1924, demoting Indrasakdi Sachi to Princess Consort.

At midnight on November 24th. 1925, Princess Suvadhana gave birth to King Vajiravudh's baby, just 2 hours prior to the King's death. He died of “gustatory disease”, but not before he'd had a chance to see his first new born child at last!

No doubt King Vajiravudh's sense of duty to country & to family was what motivated his single-minded quest for an heir, even if that quest seemingly left little room for romance. What a bitter sweet experience it must have been, as he lay on his death bed at age 44, looking at this tiny baby, who after all of his efforts, turned out to be a little girl...

While he was still a young Crown Prince, it was under his command that Sanam Chan Palace was built in 1907, to be used by members of the royal family when living or travelling in the region.

It was here that a beloved pet of King Vajiravudh was shot & killed, some believed out of envy. The King commissioned the casting of a copper statue of Ya-Lei to be mounted on a monument in the grounds of Sanam Chan Palace, so there may be some truth to this belief after all.



King Prajadhipok or Rama VII & Queen Rambai Barni ca 1918



They were childhood friends & cousins & were married in August 1918 at the Bang Pa-In Royal Palace. He became the King of Siam on February 25th. 1926. During a time of political unrest in 1935, King Prajadhipok felt it was necessary to abdicate his throne, the only Chakri monarch to do so. Until his death, he & Queen Rambai Barni lived in England.

King Prajadhipok abandoned the practice of polygamy & as this couple never had children, they decided instead to adopt an infant grandson of a royal relative. The King died of heart failure on May 30th. 1941 at 47 years old & as was the custom, his body was cremated. In 1949, Queen Rambai Barni returned to Thailand, bringing her King's ashes with her. He is remembered as an intelligent, hard-working, effective administrator.

Prince Mahidol Adulyadej & his wife, Mom Sangwal Mahidol na Ayudhya ca 1921



Like a Cinderella story, Princess Srinakharin began her education as a Thai-Chinese orphan named Sangwan. Obviously intelligent & determined, she won a scholarship from Queen Savang Vadhana to study nursing at Boston’s Simmons College in the US.

Siam's Prince Mahidol was the 69th. son of King Chulalongkorn, 6th. in line to the throne & was the first Thai royal to study in the US. (In addition to his 4 main consorts, King Chulalongkorn, or Rama V had 149 other wives & concubines. NB - That information is taken from the Wiki, but on this Wiki page, the information is that he had 4 main wives & 92 others.)

In 1916, Prince Mahidol was studying medicine at Harvard University. One of his duties was to greet new Thai students arriving in the States & it was on one of these occasions that he met Miss Sangwan. In 1919, during a private wedding ceremony, Prince Mahidol gave his Cinderella a ring with a diamond, in a heart shaped setting. After their marriage, Sangwan received the title, Mom & so became Mom Sangwan, alternatively, Mom Sangwal.

They returned to Thailand in December 1928, after the Prince had graduated from Harvard University with an M.D. Cum laude. Prince Mahidol suffered with kidney & liver problems. Sadly he died on September 24th. 1929, at the young age of 37, at Sapathum Palace. He had worked as a resident doctor in the missionary-run, McCormick Hospital & is remembered as the father of modern medicine & public health of Thailand.

Unlike Cinderella, not only did Sangwan's story not end with, happily ever after, but instead, it descended into even more sadness & heartache. She & Prince Mahidol had 3 children, including 2 sons who would be Kings, one ascending to the throne after a death shrouded in mystery & the other, who is still alive.

King Ananda Mahidol or Rama VIII



Pictured on the left, Ananda Mahidol was only 4 years old when his father died & just 9 in March 1935, when the National Assembly of Siam, in a controversial decision, elected him to become the next King. This followed the abdication of the throne by his uncle, King Prajadhipok. Years later at age 20, on June 09th. 1946 instead of the anticipated coronation, Ananda Mahidol became the victim of a fatal gunshot wound, dying at Boromphiman Throne Hall, Grand Palace, Bangkok. His brother, King Bhumibol, pictured on the right, posthumously gave Ananda the full royal title of the nine-fold umbrella.

To this day, many circumstances surrounding his death remain unresolved. At the time of his death, he was completing his doctoral degree in Law at the University of Lausanne. There was some speculation that Ananda might have been depressed over the end of a relationship, with a young Swiss woman, however that was disproved as well.

In a 1979 BBC interview, his brother, King Bhumibol was quoted as saying, “The investigation provided the fact that he died with a bullet wound in his forehead. It was proved that it was not an accident and not a suicide.”

King Blumibol's reign has been overshadowed by many controversies, but no doubt he is most haunted by the way in which it all began.

King Bhumibol Adulyadej or Rama IX & Queen Sirikit 28 April 1950



They met in the city of lights, the city of love, Paris, France, where her father served as the Thai ambassador. They were married on April 28th. 1950 in the Srapatum Palace, bound together by the heart shaped diamond wedding ring, which his parents had used 30 years earlier. One week later, on May 05th. Bhumibol was formally crowned the King of Thailand, which made his young wife, not yet 18 years old, the new Queen.

He had inherited the throne at the age of 18, after the tragic death of his brother, Prince Ananda Mahidol, in June 1946. Two years later, as the result of a car accident in 1948, he lost the sight in his right eye. They have 4 children, 3 daughters & one son. King Bhumibol is the world's longest-serving current head of state & the longest-reigning monarch in Thai history. As such, he & his Queen have experienced more than their fair share of mystery, myth, intrigue & war. On the surface at least, it would appear that they've done all in their power for country & family. We can imagine that there is still a special devotion between them of loyalty & love.

tl;dr
There will always be love in eThailand! ♥