[Article] 'Gone But Not Forgotten' Her Royal Highness Princess Bejaratana 1925 - 2011.
Cr. - http://www.behindthecrown.com/princess_bejaratana.html
Information from The Nation (Thailand)
Princess Bejaratana, the only child of King Rama VI, passed away yesterday afternoon at the age of 85 from a blood infection, the Royal Household Bureau reported.
The princess' life encompassed four kings, although only one day under one of them. She was born on November 24, 1925, to King Vajiravudh and Princess Suvadhana. After seeing his daughter for a day, the king died on November 25, but not before he finished the poem he had been working on for her lullaby. Her uncle, King Rama VII, bestowed on the princess her name on December 30.
The princess and her mother moved to Suan Hongsa Villa at Dusit Palace, where she received her education from a private tutor. They moved in with Queen Sri Savarindira (the Queen Dowager) during the Second World War, and the princess attended Rajani School until the age of 12. The princess and her mother moved to England, where she received further schooling as well as medication for her illness.
In England, she first stayed at Fairhill Villa in Surrey, then transferred to Brighton. It was well known that the princess and her mother always granted audiences to Thais in England as well as supported Thai activities abroad. During the 20 years of her stay, the princess studied English, French and piano as well as attending an all-girls' boarding school in Wales throughout the Second World War. During the war, she volunteered to help the British Red Cross prepare bandages as well as medicine for soldiers.
In November 1957, the mother and daughter moved back to Thailand. They bought land on Sukhumvit Soi 38 and built Ruenruedi Villa Palace, which is still the home of the princess. Once the princess had settled into her new life in Thailand, she proceeded to perform her royal duties as a representative of the Royal Family. During her active days, she was recognised as a great help to His Majesty the King in carrying out public welfare missions that required visits to remote areas.
Her special interests ranged from education, public health, Buddhism and the soldiers and police stationed at Thailand's borders to general public welfare.
In a statement marking her 61st birthday, the princess vowed to dedicate her whole life to performing royal duties that served the national interest in honour of His Majesty the King.
An article on the Public Relations Department website describes her as follows: "A devout Buddhist, the Princess [was] known to be very punctual and make best use of her time. She [followed] her constant routines every day and her watch [was] always persistently adjusted. The Princess [preferred] simplicity and [was] a true nationalist. Her clothes and handbags [were] only made in Thailand. Her use of language [was] always clear and accurate. English and French [were] spoken only with foreigners. The Princess [crocheted] in her free time. The crocheted cloths [were] given to Thai soldiers along the border".
Princess Bejaratana was known privately to be a very gifted person, especially with numbers. She had the knack of calculating the day of the week for any dates presented to her, promptly and without any hesitation, as well as remembering the birthdays of everyone who had been presented to her.
Because of her age and failing health, she cut back on many of her royal duties in her later years. However, once in a while she engaged in some work that was connected to her late father.
The Royal Household Bureau is arranging for the public to pay homage to her at the Sahathai Samakom Hall in the Grand Palace from 1pm to 5pm today.
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