Memories of a golden time

ADDING TO the many wonderful memories of Their Majesties the King and Queen is Phra Tamnak Yai of Sra Pathum Palace in Pathum Wan district. It was here that the royal wedding ceremony of His Majesty King Bhumibol Adulyadej and Her Majesty Queen Sirikit took place on April 28, 1950, as did that of Their Royal Highnesses Prince Mahidol and the Princess Mother 30 years earlier.
The Phra Tamnak Yai building is a central historical site for the Chakri Dynasty and the official residence of the Mahidol family. Her Royal Highness Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn continues to live at Sra Pathum Palace today.
It was here that the Mahidols spent part of their childhood with His Majesty’s royal grandmother, Queen Savang Vadhana, the consort King Chulalongkorn (Rama V), the Princess Mother Her Royal Highness Princess Sri Nagarindra, King Ananda Mahidol (Rama VIII), and Her Royal Highness Princess Galayani Vadhana.
Phra Tamnak Yai was the home of Queen Savang Vadhana from 1916 until she passed away in 1955. The Queen Grandmother is among Unesco’s World Great Personalities in education, medical science and cultural preservation. Her 93 years spanned six reigns, beginning with King Rama IV until King Rama IX.
Queen Savang bore King Chulalongkorn’s eight children from the late 1870s into the 1890s, although most died young and their cumulative loss severely damaged the queen’s health. Only with the birth of her three grandchildren to her youngest son Prince Mahitala Dhibesra Adulyadej Vikrom (also known as Prince Mahidol of Songkhla) and Princess Sri Nagarindra did she recover somewhat. One of these offspring became His Majesty King Bhumibol Adulyadej.
The Princess Mother also lived at Sra Pathum Palace. When she passed away, His Majesty the King Bhumibol Adulyadej presented the Palace as a residence for Her Royal Highness Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn. In turn, she decided to have the palace’s Phra Tamnak Yai transformed into a museum, in accordance with the royal initiative of His Majesty the King. 
In December 2008, on the auspicious occasion of His Majesty the King's 80th birthday anniversary, Princess Sirindhorn presented the Museum to His Majesty the King and since then it has served as a resource centre for further studies of the royal activities of Her Majesty Queen Savang Vadhana.
The east entrance to Tamnak serves as access to the palace museum. The permanent exhibition there is arranged around its three rooms corresponding to the palace’s development over the years and showing the bonding of the family.
During “The First Period”, HRH Prince Mahidol of Songkkla, the Prince Father, returned to Siam after completing his studies abroad, and it was here, on September 10, 1920, that he married Sangwan Talaphat, who would become Her Royal Highness Princess Sri Nagarindra, the Princess Mother. His Majesty King Vajiravudh (Rama VI) presided at the wedding and ritually poured blessed water from a conch on the royal couple’s hands. The display area has a selection of correspondence – letters, telegraphs and even wills – between Queen Savang Vadhana and various members of the royal family.
In “The Second Period”, Prince Mahidol and Princess Sri Nagarindra raised a daughter, Her Royal Highness Princess Galyani Vadhana, and, in “The Third Period” the family became complete with the addition of the two sons, the future kings Ananda Mahidol and Bhumibol Adulyadej.
In the books “Mae Lao Hai Fang” (“Mother Told Me”) and “Chao Nai Lek, Yuwa Kasat” (“The Young Royals: The Young Kings”), Princess Galyani noted that the time spent in Srapathum Palace was one of the happiest in her life.
Princess Galyani was just nine months old when, in November 1923, she met the Queen Grandmother for the first time. The book “Somdej Phra Sri Savarindira” by Sompob Chantraprapa, notes that: “The queen wished to have a grandchild of her own very much … Princess Galyani Vadhana was only nine months old then and the Western nanny was very strict about her health so that even the queen grandmother had to wash her hands and ask in English in order to hold the baby princess.”
In another reference, the Princess said: “Making merit by food offering to monks at Sra Pathum Palace took place every day, beginning with one monk a day. The queen said that this food offering was made so that the princess granddaughter would learn about monks. News of this merit making spread to many temples and the number of monks increased daily, reaching 70 of 80 monks.”
Princess Galyani Vadhana lived at Sra Pathum Palace until she was two, when, due to Prince Mahidol’s frail health and need for recuperation, the Mahidol family left for Germany, where King Ananda Mahidol was born.
When the princess was three years old, her family moved to Boston, USA, so that Prince Mahidol could pursue an education in medicine at Harvard University. It was here in Boston that her youngest brother was born, later to become His Majesty King Bhumibol Adulyadej.
In 1928, the Mahidol family returned home again, this time with the two grandsons. Bad news was soon to follow. Due to hard work in the medical field and frail health from kidney problems, Prince Mahidol passed away in 1929.
Despite their great loss, the Princess Mother and the Queen Grandmother took care of the royal grandchildren with kindness and love. She would please her young grandchildren by allowing them to ride horses, travel in cars and play around in the vast gardens of Sra Pathum Palace.
Princess Galyani wrote: “Every day, we would visit the queen grandmother at her great mansion or Phra Tamnak Yai. Since there was no school, the princes would go there in the morning, while I went later in the afternoon after school. Most often, we walked and played along the way so it took rather long time to get there when in fact it should be no more than a 10-minute walk.”
“The queen grandmother gave us a rickshaw. We liked to sit on it and play because it was useful when we were tired or felt uncomfortable in our fine costumes. She also gave us one cart as a present on the prince’s birthday. It was very beautiful but was not so useful because it was uncomfortable to sit and inconvenient to pull,” she recalled.
The exhibition also displays a carrying pole with its balanced pair of baskets, as used by Chinese street hawkers. They regularly passed by the palace, calling out what wares they had to sell, and Queen Savang Vadhana often invited them onto the grounds to see what she might buy for her grandchildren.
Then in 1932, in order to protect the royal children from political instability in Thailand, the Mahidol family decided to move to Switzerland.
Sra Pathum Palace once again became a place for joy in 1950 when the marriage of His Majesty King Bhumibol Adulyadej and Her Majesty Queen Sirikit was officially recorded on April 28, 1950 at the Ceremony Room on the ground floor of Phra Tamnak Yai. 
On the wide balcony adjoining her bedchamber, Queen Savang Vadhana spent her time reading and taking her meals. And it was here, on the open-air terrace with its low mattress and cushion and side table, that she performed her last royal duty to attend the wedding ceremony of King Bhumibol Adulyadej and Queen Sirikit, bestowing her formal blessings on the royal couple.
In April 2012, on the occasion of a visit to the museum by Their Majesties the King and the Queen as well as Princess Sirindhorn, the old palace retainers were granted an audience, reminding them of the wonderful old days.

  The Queen Savang Vadhana Museum opens regularly for specific periods of time. Advance reservations are required. Call (02) 252 1965-7.
 The entrance is near the Siam Kempinski Hotel.
 Admission is Bt150 (Bt50 for students).
 Attire must be appropriate.
 For more information, visit www.QueenSavang.org.