The Sister of Two Kings

HRH PRINCESS GALYANI VADHANA 1923 - 2008
It is already difficult to be a sister of a king but Her Royal Highness Princess Galyani Vadhana was the sister of two Kings of Thailand.

HRH Princess Galyani Vadhana Krom Luang Naradhiwas Rajanagarindra was the elder sister of two Thai Kings.Like her brothers - HM King Ananda Mahidol (King Rama VIII, who passed away in 1946) and the reigning monarch HM King Bhumibol Adulyadej (King Rama IX) - Her Royal Highness commanded love and respect from Thais across the country.Like her mother HRH the Princess Sri Nagarindra, the Princess Mother, she was the patron of many foundations that work seriously for the well-being of Thais. HRH Princess Galyani Vadhana was born Her Serene Highness Mom Chao Galyani Vadhana on May 6, 1923 in London to HRH the Prince of Songkla and his consort Mom Sangwal - who was later the mother of two Thai kings. The princess was a direct granddaughter of HM King Chulalongkorn (King Rama V). On her birth certificate, her name was registered as "May". Later, HM King Vajiravudh (King Rama VI) graciously named her "Mom Chao Galyani Vadhana". Then in 1927, his successor HM King Prajadhipok (King Rama VII) elevated her to the rank of "Her Highness".Born in London, the princess was in the United Kingdom until the age of six months old, when her parents brought her back to Thailand. On 1 July 1925, her family moved to Germany, where HM King Ananda Mahidol was born on 20 September that year.In 1926, her parents had to travel back to Thailand to attend the funeral of HM King Vajiravudh and coronation of HM King Prajadhipok. So, the royal couple placed their children under the care of Champ Soleil in Lausanne - a place that Dr Francis B Sayre - former adviser to the Foreign Affairs Ministry - had recommended as having good hygienic standards. The princess and her brother were at the Champ Soleil for some months. By the time their parents picked them up, the young princess was already able to speak some French. In late 1926, HRH the Prince of Songkla took his family to the United States, where he pursued a degree in medicine at Harvard University, while his wife briefly studied psychology, cooking and nutrition at a college. In the United States, Her Highness Princess Galyani Vadhana enrolled at Park School for her kindergarten education. In 1927, her family welcomed their youngest member, a baby boy who would later become the world's longest reigning monarch. In 1928, HRH the Prince of Songkla graduated from Harvard University and returned to Thailand with his family. They lived in Sa Pathum Palace, with the Princess studying at the Rajini School.When the Princess was just six years old, her father passed away. A year after, Thailand changed from an absolute monarchy to a constitutional monarchy, and in 1933 her family moved to Lausanne.Back in Switzerland, the young princess was put under the care of Champ Soleil for two months so she could brush up on her French. After that, she attended the Miremont School for primary education.In 1934, HM King Prajadhipok abdicated and the Royal Thai Government invited Prince Ananda Mahidol to take the throne. In 1935, after her brother ascended the throne - as HM King Ananda Mahidol or King Rama VIII - the Princess was elevated to a higher rank of princess, Her Royal Highness. The family also rented a larger estate in Pully in honour of the young king. The estate was named "Villa Vadhana". In that year, the young princess enrolled at a girl's school, Ecole Superieure de Jeunes Filles de la Ville de Lausanne, where she also studied German and Latin. In 1938, she enrolled at the International School of Geneva, where she had demonstrated impressive academic performances. When she completed her secondary education, the Princess was the top scorer at her school and got the third best marks in Switzerland. In late 1938, she visited Thailand with her family. It was the first time HM King Ananda Mahidol had set his foot in Thailand as monarch. In 1942, the princess enrolled at the Lausanne University. Six years later, after the war, in 1948, she received the Diplome de Chimiste A. While there, she also studied literature and philosophy. In Switzerland, the Princess married Colonel Aram Rattakun Serireongrit and the couple had one daughter, Thanpuying Dhasanawalaya Sornsongkram. In 1950, the Princess returned to Thailand. With her love for teaching, she did not hesitate when her mother suggested she should take up a job teaching. In 1951, the Princess became a special lecturer in French language at the Chulalongkorn University's Faculty of Arts. She taught French Conversation, French Civilisation and French Literature. She taught there until 1958.In 1969, the Princess accepted an invitation to become a full-time lecturer at Thammasat University's Faculty of Liberal Arts. She was in charge of both teaching and administrative tasks as the head of French Language and French Literature Department and the director of foreign languages. The Princess taught French Language and French Literature to students. She also supervised classes conducted by both Thai and foreign teachers under her department. In 1973, the Princess successfully introduced a programme in French language and French literature. During her years at Thammasat, she was also a guest lecturer for Chiang Mai University's Faculty of Humanities. Despite her love for teaching, the Princess finally resigned from Thammasat in 1976 to tend to other obligations, and to help with her mother's work.However, even after stepping down from her full-time job, the Princess continued to be a guest lecturer at various universities. When she heard that the Prince of Songkla University's Faculty of Humanities suffered a shortage of teaching staff at its Pattani campus due to its remoteness and security problem, she agreed to stay at the campus to help conduct classes. The Princess has contributed to the country's education in various other ways. She sat on a committee to select who should win scholarships from the Office of Civil Service Commission to pursue degrees abroad. She chaired a committee that designed French exams for national entrance tests. In 1977, she also founded the Association Thailandaise Des Professeurs de Francais (Association of Teachers of French in Thailand) with the aim of providing a place where French-language teachers and lecturers could meet and exchange experiences to help improve their instruction. The Princess chaired the association from 1977 to 1981, and later remained as its honorary chairwoman. In 1978, Thammasat University bestowed her an adjunct professorship. xSince 1989, the Princess has supported students representing Thailand in the Academic Olympiads. She has also granted patronage to the Promotion of Academic Olympiads and Development of Science Education Foundation.The Siamese Association of University Women is under her patronage also. In addition to education, the Princess also did much social work. She was patron of the Thai Cardiac Children's Foundation, Foundation for Slum Children, Foundation for the Yuwaprasart Waitayopatham Hospital, Foundation for Children with Mental Disabilities, Foundation for Rajvithi Hospital, Green World Foundation and Hospital for Tropical Diseases Foundation. She has chaired many other foundations including the Kidney Foundation of Thailand and Breast Foundation. By granting her patronage, she worked closely with these organisations to try to ensure their work really benefited people, especially the underprivileged. In 1995, in the year of the Princess' sixth cycle birthday, HM King Bhumibol Adulyadej bestowed her with the title of Krom Luang Naradhiwas Rajanagarindra, a traditional Siamese custom dating back to the Ayutthaya period. In announcing the honoured title, His Majesty said the Princess was his only elder sister. She had been with him, through good times and bad, since they were very young. She was the one who had won his respect and the one who always supported him with the hope of making him happy. She had represented His Majesty to carry out various royal works and had always taken good care of their mother, which was a great relief to His Majesty. The King also appreciated the great contributions the Princess had done for the people of Thailand through various works. After her mother passed away in 1995, the Princess continued to carry out the Princess Mother's royal works. She was honorary chairwoman of the Princess Mother's Medical Volunteer Foundation and the Prostheses Foundation of HRH the Princess Mother. The Princess was also a writer. Based on her extensive travel experiences, her literary works included 'Bhutan: Green Island on Land', 'Is it cold in Siberia?', 'Turkey: Land of the Roman Emperors and Ottoman Sultans', 'Xinjian and Gansu: Pictures from Faraway Places', and 'Eastern China: Mountains, Lakes, Temples'.The princess also wrote books about her families. One of them was "Chao Nai Lek Lek - Yuwakrasat" (Little Royal Member - the Young King"), which she described as "not a book to honour His Majesty. It's the book an elder sister writes for her younger brother when he is celebrates his 5th cycle birthday on 5 December 1987, so that we together recall our childhood, both sadness and happiness, and share our stories with others".