Royal protocol proved to be a hindrance to Prince Mahidol; after all, how could he practise medicine if he wasn’t allowed to touch his patient? The Prince decided to move to Chiang Mai to work at McCormick Hospital, run by the American Presbyterian mission. He planned to move his family up to Chiang Mai in due course.
But his illness took a turn for the worse, and he was diagnosed with amoebic liver abscess. He returned to Srapathum Palace where he spent the final days of his life until his death on September 24, 1929, from kidney failure. Prince Bhumibol Adulyadej was only two years old at the time.
The next four years were spent in relative stability, as Mom Sangwan held the family together in the grounded, down-to-earth manner that helped form the psyche of the three royal children. They first attended Mater Dei School, transferring subsequently to Debsirin School where the young Prince Bhumibol already showed a talent for music.