Love and Death of King Ananda Mahidol of Thailand

"This book examines two aspects of the abbreviated reign of King Ananda Mahidol (1935-1946), or King Rama VIII, of the current Chakri dynasty of Thailand. First, it discusses the royal family's plot to thwart a romantic relationship between the young king, Ananda, and his Swiss girlfriend, Marileine Ferrari, a daughter of a famous pastor of Lausanne, Switzerland. Interracial marriage, particularly with Westerners, has been strictly forbidden for Thai kings or heirs apparent. The restriction stems from the interwoven connection between sexual relationship and the security of the throne. The second part investigates the mysterious death of King Ananda, a long-held taboo topic in Thailand. Although the two events were not specially related, both in their own way served to unavoidably shake the position of the monarchy and hence threaten its existence. The palace's reactions to these events demonstrated its continuous search to maintain its power and ultimately to warrant its survival." [SpringerLink] Foreword 5 Preface 8 The Ferrari Lady 10 The King’s Death 14 Acknowledgments 15 The Final Note 18 References 20 Contents 21 About the Author 22 List of Figures 23 Chapter 1: Introduction 25 Love and Death 26 Contribution to Scholarship 31 Surprises and Challenges 33 References 35 Chapter 2: Romance à Lausanne 36 Ananda’s Initial Years 38 Daughter of a Pastor 47 Law of Attraction 55 Forbidden Love 61 References 71 Chapter 3: The Death of King Ananda 74 A Tragedy in Waiting 75 Suicide, Accident, Or Regicide? 82 Shock in Lausanne 91 References 97 Chapter 4: Restriction on Interracial Matrimony 99 Pre-Colonial Interracial Matrimony 101 Intermarriage and Colonial Politics 108 The Image of Westerners 114 References 121 Chapter 5: Cases of Castigation 126 Prince Chakrabongse Bhuvanath and Prince Chula Chakrabongse 127 Princess Ubolratana Rajakanya 133 King Norodom Sihanouk of Cambodia 137 References 142 Chapter 6: Banned in Literature 144 The Life and Death of Ananda 145 The Marileine Ferrari Connection 151 References 161 Chapter 7: Conclusion 163 The Necessity of Taboo 163 The End of the Romance and the Death of the King 165 Other Cases of Mixed-Race Marriage 165 Have Times Changed? 167 References 170 Epilogue: Ananda’s Death Relived 171 Appendix A 179 Announcement 179 Appendix B 181 1924 Palace Law of Succession 181 Historical Background 182 The Succession 185 Traditional Practice 189 The Current Situation 191 Line of Succession (Bangkok Era) 193 Index 195