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Biography
of HIS
MAJESTY KING BHUMIBOL ADULYADEJ of Thailand was born in Cambridge
Massachusetts, The United States of America, on Monday the 5th of
December 1927, being the third and youngest child of Their Royal Highnesses
Prince and Princess Mahidol of Songkhla. Even
the facts of his birth seem to be significant in several ways. He
is, first of all, the direct grandson of His Late Majesty King Chulalongkorn
or Rama V who was renowned for the great reforms which he made to
all institutions of Thailand to bring them up to date and in line
with the rest of the Western-orientated world. Prince
Mahidol himself was perhaps one of the most modern-minded of all the
sons of King Chulalongkorn and his life was dedicated to the development
of many modern ideas particularly in the field of Medical Science
so that he is now known as the Father of the Modern Thai Medical Profession.
Last
but not least, he was given the significant name of Bhumibol Adulyadej,
meaning Strength of the Land Incomparable Power which becomes prophetic
as his Reign advances through various critical periods and the Thai
nation evolves more and more around the Throne as the sole sources
of unity and strength. Prince
Mahidol came back to Thailand and passed away when His Majesty was
not yet two years old. After a brief period of primary schooling in
Bangkok, His Majesty left with the rest of his family for Switzerland
where he continued his secondary education at the Ecole Nouvelle de
la Suisse Romande, Chailly sur Lausanne and received the Bachelieres
Lettres diploma from the Gymnase Classique Cantonal of Lausanne. He
then chose to enter Lausanne University to study Science, but the
death of his elder brother King Ananda Mahidol in Bangkok on the 9th.
of June 1946, changed the course of his life completely, for the Law
of Succession bestowed on him the arduous but challenging function
of the Thai Crown. His Majesty decided to go back to Switzerland for
another period of study, but this time in the subiect of Political
Science and Law in order to equip himself with the proper knowledge
for government. In 1950, His Majesty returned to Thailand for the
Coronation Ceremony which took place on the 5th. of May. He
went back to Switzerland for another period of study before the urgent
call of his country and people brought him back to Thailand in 1951
to stay. His
Majesty met and became engaged on the 19th. of July 1949 to Mom Rajawongse
Sirikit, daughter of His Highness Prince Chandaburi Suranath (Mom
Chao Nakkhatra Mangala Kitiyakara) and Mom Luang Bua Kitiyakara (nee
Mom Luang Bua Snidwongse). His Highness Prince Chandaburi Suranath
was the third son of His Royal Highness Prince Chandaburi Narunath
and Her Serene Highness Princess Absarasman Kitiyakara. Their
Majesties were married by Her Majesty Queen Sawang Vadhana, the paternal
grandmother of His Majesty, at Sra Pathum Palace in Bangkok on the
28th. of April 1950 and Their Majesties have four children. |
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