Katya & the Prince of Siam

by Narisa Chakrabongse, Eileen Hunter

Katya & the Prince of Siam is the story of an ultimately tragic love affair and marriage between a beautiful young Russian girl from Kiev and an eastern prince, HRH Prince Chakrabongse of Siam, one of King Chulalongkorn's favorite sons.Making use of much hitherto unpublished archive material such as letters, diaries, and photographs, this book gives a fascinating insight into life in both pre-revolutionary Russia and the Siamese court.

Genres: Nonfiction, Russia, History, Biography, Royalty

200 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1995

Reviews

[Elyse · Rating 4 out of 5]

Just prior to the Russian Revolution, a pretty Russian girl catches the eye of a visiting prince of Siam who is training with the Czar's army. They fall in love and the prince shocks his royal family by marrying her. The couple was willing to brave the extreme culture clash for the sake of their relationship.

This non-fiction book has two authors and they are family members. Narisa Chakrabongse is only one quarter Siamese. Her grandfather is the prince mentioned in the title, Prince Chakrabongse, a favorite son of King Chulalongkorn. The other author is Narisa's aunt, Eileen Hunt, who is totally English. The sons of the royal family at this time really took a shining to marrying European women. Normally the royals married their own to the point of extreme intermarriage (princes marrying their nieces) to keep the bloodline pure.

I enjoyed comparing what I know about 20th century world history to how it impacted Siam: the rise of Communism, World War I, the flu pandemic, the Depression (it did not have much effect on the wealthy royal family) and World War II. The book is written in a straight forward manner and the story needs no embellishing prose to make it interesting.

[Ekaterina Isaeva · Rating 5 out of 5]

Купила эту книгу в магазине River books shop в Бангкоке по совету коллеги. Не могла оторваться, пока не дочитала! История замужества русской девушки Кати с сиамским (тайским) принцем Чакрабоном, сыном одного из сиамских королей. Книгу написала катина внучка Нариса, дочь Чулы, сына Кати и Чакрабона. История королевского двора Сиама, императорского Петербурга, революции и жизни после - так близко, так понятно и так увлекательно. Счастлива, что в моей жизни встретилась эта книга 💕

[Saturday's Child · Rating 4 out of 5]

One for anyone who enjoys reading about Thailand, history, family histories or Royalty. It is wonderfully illustrated with photographs as well.

[Natalie Belbis Presley · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed reading this book immensely. The writers take the reader back to a fascinating time in Siam's history. Their love story was so powerful, beautiful and heartwrenching, I had to put the book down to really contemplate what they had to go through during that time. This a book I'd like to keep by my side as it provided plenty of facts and information I know I will want to read through again.

Highly recommended!

[Ebony Day · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great biography. If you are interested in understanding the history of Thailand’s royal monarchy, then this is the book for you.

[Lucy Srisuphapreeda · Rating 5 out of 5]

Written by the couple's only granddaughter, Narisa Chakrabongse, Katya and the Prince of Siam is the poignant and intriguing life story of Prince Chakrabongse and his wife Katya, and was the inspiration behind the novel A Passage to Siam by V.Vinicchayakul.

[MissyLynne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well written and very interesting. Held my attention and opened my eyes to the culture and royalty of Siam.

[Giuseppe Sepe · Rating 4 out of 5]

I left Siam with a smile on my lips when my heart was perfectly broken.

[Alenka of Bohemia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Supremely interesting and a wonderful, accessible introduction into another part of the history I have previously known nothing about.