Her Royal Highness Princess Galyani Vadhana Krom Luang Naradhiwas Rajanagarindra was born on Sunday, 6 May 1923 in London, the United Kingdom. The first child and the only daughter of His Royal Highness Prince Mahidol of Songkla and Her Royal Highness Princess Srinagarindra Boromrajajonani, she was simply registered in her birth certificate as “May,” the month of her birth. Her two younger brothers, born in Germany and the United States, later became King Ananda Mahidol (Rama VIII) and King Bhumibol Adulyadej (Rama IX). King Vajiravudh (Rama VI), bestowed upon her the name and title “Mom Chao (Her Serene Highness) Princess Galyani Vadhana.” King Prajadhipok (Rama VII) later elevated her title to “Phra Worawong Thoe Phra Ong Chao” (Her Highness Princess). In the year 1935, King Ananda Mahidol installed her as Somdet Phra Chao Phinang Thoe Chao Fa Galyani Vadhana, and when she attained the sixth cycle (72nd birthday anniversary) in 1995, His Majesty King Bhumibol Adulyadej invested her with the title of the first Celestial Princess of Krom rank in his reign, as “Somdet Phra Chao Phinang Thoe Chao Fa Galyani Vadhana Krom Luang Naradhiwas Rajanagarindra.”

Soon after her birth, the family moved from London to Southbourne in the east, and later to Boscombe on the southern coast of England. When she was six months old, the Princess accompanied her royal parents on a home visit to Siam, before moving with her family to Germany on 1 July 1925, which is where Prince Ananda was born.

The Prince Father returned to Bangkok again to participate in the Royal Cremation Ceremony for King Vajiravudh in 1926. He stayed on to join the Royal Coronation Ceremony for King Prajadhipok. During that time, Dr. Francis B. Sayre, the former American Advisor to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, recommended a childcare center called Champ Soleil in Lausanne, Switzerland, as a proper and hygienic center, since the owner was a physician. The Princess Mother therefore decided to entrust her daughter and son there for several months. There they learned to speak French.

Toward the end of 1926, the Prince Father moved to Boston, Massachusetts, in the United States of America, with his family, to study medicine at Harvard University. Her Royal Highness Princess Galyani Vadhana Krom Luang Naradhiwas Rajanagarindra started her schooling at the kindergarten level at Park School in Boston. It was also here where His Majesty the King was born.

When the Prince Father completed his medical studies in 1928, he came back to Siam with his family and took up residence at Sapathum Palace. Her Royal Highness Princess Galyani Vadhana attended a primary-level class at Rajini School. After the Prince Father passed away in 1929, the Princess Mother was granted royal permission in 1933 to take her three children to reside in Lausanne, Switzerland. Her Royal Highness Princess Galyani Vadhana spent two months at Champ Soleil to refresh her French and enrolled in the Miremont elementary school until completing her primary education.

On 2 March 1934, King Prajadhipok abdicated. The government asked His Highness Prince Ananda Mahidol to succeed to the throne. The Princess Mother moved her family to a rented house at the town of Pully, lying next to Lausanne, and named the house “Villa Vadhana.”

In 1935, Her Royal Highness Princess Galyani Vadhana enrolled in a secondary school for girls named Ecole Superieure des Jeunes Filles de la Ville de Lausanne, where she passed the exam and was admitted to class 5 of the six-grade secondary level. She took up German and Latin studies as well. Later in April 1938, she moved to continue her studies in Geneva at a boarding school named International School of Geneva. She excelled academically and came first in the final exam of the school and third in all Switzerland.

Toward the end of 1938, King Ananda Mahidol came back to Bangkok for the first time since ascending the throne, accompanied by the Princess Mother, the Royal Brother, and the Royal Sister, Her Royal Highness Princess Galyani Vadhana.

In 1942, the Princess furthered her studies at the Faculty of Sciences in the field of chemistry, at the University of Lausanne. She graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in Chemistry (Diplome de Chimiste A) in 1948. While pursuing her science degree, she also studied social science and education for a Diplome de Sciences Sociales Pedagogiques, involving teacher’s education, literature, philosophy, and psychology, which were some of her personal interests.

The Royal Elder Sister of Two Kings

When King Prajadhipok abdicated in 1934, the Council of Ministers, with the consent of the House of Representatives, asked His Highness Prince Ananda Mahidol to succeed him to the throne. The Party of King Ananda Mahidol’s Regents on 10 July 1935 installed Her Highness Princess Galyani Vadhana as Her Royal Highness Princess Galyani Vadhana.

The Princess renounced her royal order of precedence in accordance with the palace law on the marriage of royals, in order to marry Colonel Aram Ratanakul Serireungriddhi, a commoner, in 1944. They had a daughter, Thanpuying Dasanavalaya Sorasongkram (who later married Mr. Sinthu Sorasongkram, with a son, Captain Jithas Sorasongkram).

When His Majesty King Bhumibol Adulyadej ascended the throne, he reinstated his elder sister with the full honor of her royal order of precedence.

Later in 1969, the Princess married His Highness Prince Varananda Dhavaj, son of Prince Chudadhuj Dharadilok, the Prince of Phetchabun, and Mom Ravi Kayananda.

Royal Activities

When Her Royal Highness Princes Galyani Vadhana returned to Thailand in 1950, the Princess Mother, who knew well of her daughter’s passion for a teacher’s role since childhood, advised her to take up a part-time job as a French lecturer at the Faculty of Arts, Chulalongkorn University. The Princess held the post until the year 1958, teaching French conversation, civilization, and literature.

In 1969, at the request of the Faculty of Liberal Arts, Thammasat University, Her Royal Highness Princess Galyani Vadhana agreed to become a full-time lecturer, taking up both teaching and administrative tasks as the Head of French Language and Literature Branch and Director of the Foreign Language Division, which was responsible for the teaching of French, German, Japanese, Chinese, and Russian. She taught various classes in French language and literature, and supervised the teaching by Thai and foreign lecturers. She also drew up a degree course for French language and literature, which was completed in 1973. The course was considered a perfect combination of French language and literature knowledge. While serving as a full-time lecturer at Thammasat University, she was requested by the Faculty of Humanities, Chiang Mai University, to be a special lecturer in 1972.

Increasingly beset by a heavy work schedule, however, Her Royal Highness Princess Galyani Vadhana resigned from her post as a permanent faculty member of Thammasat University, but she remained a special lecturer there. Moreover, she accepted a post as a special French lecturer for the Faculty of Science and Arts at Kasetsart University. The Princess later heard of a shortage of teaching staff at the Faculty of Humanities, Prince of Songkla University, Pattani Campus, owing to its remoteness and security problems. She became a lecturer there, taking up residence in the campus like others in the teaching staff.

While taking up teaching in universities, the Princess took part in various academic activities, such as serving in the examination jury for government scholarships and chairing the committee on French tests in the entrance examination for state universities. She played an active role in teaching up to January 1978 and was appointed by His Majesty the King as a Visiting Professor of Thammasat University.

With her talent and experience in teaching French, the Princess recognized the problem of continuity in the teaching and learning of the French language, especially during the transitional period from secondary to university level. She therefore initiated the Thai Association of Teachers of French (Association Thailandaise des Professeurs de Fran?ais) in 1977, as the center where teachers could meet and discuss their experiences, so as to improve teaching methods at secondary and university levels. She se.rved as President of the Association from 1977 to 1981, and since then as its Honorary President.

Her academic endeavors and dedicated work for educational development were recognized both nationally and internationally. Various universities conferred honorary doctorates in different fields of study on her. The Princess was also honored by several governments around the world, as well as the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).

Her Royal Highness Princess Galyani Vadhana promoted artistic and cultural performances such as classical concerts and operas. She was also the patroness of the Symphony Orchestra of Chulalongkorn University and attended performances on several occasions. She granted the name of “Traditional Thai Puppet Theater” on Joe Louis Puppet Theater and accepted an invitation to be the patroness of the Traditional Thai Puppet Theater Foundation.

On 15 June 2007, Her Royal Highness Princess Galyani Vadhana Krom Luang Naradhiwas Rajanagarindra was admitted into Siriraj Hospital with abdominal pains and remained at the Chalerm Phra Kiat Building for treatment. The medical team made a thorough check with computerized tomography and found that she had cancer, the same type that had infected her breast and had been treated 10 years before. Moreover, doctors found that the Princess had suffered an infarction on the left side of her brain as a result of occlusion of a cerebral artery. The medical team provided treatment for her to the best of their ability, but her condition gradually worsened and she passed away at 02.54 hr on Wednesday, 2 January 2008 at the age of 84. Thereafter, His Majesty the King commanded the Bureau of the Royal Household to organize royal religious rites with the highest honor in accordance with court traditions, with the royal remains lying in state at Dusit Maha Prasat Throne Hall within the Grand Palace.

Later, on the occasion of the royal merit-making marking the seventh day after her passing away, His Majesty the King commanded an announcement investing Her Royal Highness Princess Galyani Vadhana with full royal honors, and had a seven-tiered white umbrella of state placed over the royal urn granted for her remains.

The Thai government issued an announcement from the Prime Minister’s Office defining an official mourning period of 15 days for government offices, state enterprises, and educational institutions, during which the Thai national flag would be flown at half mast, and officials and state enterprise personnel would dress in mourning from 2 January 2008 onwards.