King Bhumibol Adulyadej threw himself into his studies, planning to return to Thailand in 1948 for his brother’s cremation. But just as fate had brought unexpected tragedy to him earlier, fate now brought an unexpected romance into the picture.
The King had previously met Mom Rachawongse Sirikit Kitiyakara, daughter of the Thai ambassador to London, Prince Nakkhatra Mangala Kitiyakara, but romance did not develop until the King was involved in a serious car accident which resulted in the loss of his right eye. The King’s convalescence in Lausanne was made all the more bearable with the constant presence of MR Sirikit, whose parents had now enrolled her at a boarding school in Lausanne.