Srinagarindra - Engagement and Marriage

Engagement and Marriage

Approval was granted, and in 1919, in a private ceremony, Prince Mahidol Adulyadej, the Prince of Songkla Nagarindra presented Sangwal Talabhat with a diamond ring on a heart-shaped setting. (30 years later, this same ring was to be presented by his son, King Bhumibol Adulyadej, to his bride, Mom Rajawongse Sirikit Kitiyakara). After their engagement, Prince Mahidol bade his fiancée move to Cambridge where she lived with the Williston sisters, Emily and Constance, who tutored her in algebra, Latin, French, and English. The Prince also assigned an American lady to take her on guided tours of museums and art galleries, with explanations on the significance of the various exhibits.

Prince Mahidol Adulyadej and Mom Sangwal Mahidol na Ayudhya had three children – a daughter and two sons:

• Princess Galyani Vadhana, the Princess of Naradhiwas Rajanagarindra, (born 6 May 1923, died 2 January 2008), married Aram Rattanakul Serireungriddhi (then divorced) had 1 daughter, and then married Prince Varananda Dhavaj Chudadhuj, had no children.
• King Ananda Mahidol (Rama VIII), (born 20 September 1925, died 9 June 1946), unmarried
• King Bhumibol Adulyadej (Rama IX), (born 5 December 1927), married Mom Rajawongse Sirikit Kitiyakara, has 4 children.

The marriage was followed by an extensive visit to various European countries, before the couple eventually returned to the United States. Prince Mahidol resumed his studies in public health at Harvard and at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in Boston and arranged for his wife to take a preparatory course for nursing at Simmons College in the same town, where she studied chemistry and nutrition. Upon passing the test at the end of the semester, she went on to study school health at MIT, entering in the summer semester.

In Boston, they were simply known as Mr. and Mrs. Mahidol Songkla, living in a two-bedroom flat at 329 Longwood Avenue. Apart from their studies, they were both closely involved in the activities of the Siam Association of USA under Royal Patronage, which had been established by the prince. They would often host meals for other Thai students – she did the cooking and he washed the dishes.