Service To Her Country
Besides a busy home life as the mother of two daughters, plus a full writing career, the Princess engaged in other would occupy her to the tragic ending of her life: serving their Majesties the King Bhumibol Adulyadej and Queen Sirikit of Thailand. In 1957, she began accompanying them when they toured the country and was appointed a Lady-in-waiting to Her Majesty the Queen when they went on their first State Visit abroad in 1960. Princess Vibhavadi accompanied their Majesties on seven occasions, visiting a total of twenty-five countries.
The last ten years of her life were dedicated to rural development in Southern Thailand under the direction and sponsorship of His Majesty the King. Her involvement began when the monarch asked her to go to a remote area called Phrasaeng in Surat Thani Province. From that initial visit in 1967, she was committed to the development of neglected areas and the improvement of the villagers' living standards. Sponsored by His Majesty, she led a medical team on countless missions to distribute medical supplies, schooling equipment, blankets and other necessities to villagers in remote and almost inaccessible parts of the South.
Wherever she went, she note the grievances of the villagers and saw that they were rectified by the authorities. Rural development followed in Princess Vibhavadi’s path: roads were built, new health centres and schools established, and electricity brought to previously unreachable villages. At the Queen's request, she also promoted local handicrafts to enable women to earn extra income.
Read more about this topic: Vibhavadi Rangsit
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