| The beauty and peace of Switzerland was the perfect environment to raise the three children. Prince Bhumibol Adulyadej was enrolled at his new school, Miremont, and, after 1935, the Ecole Nouvelle de la Suisse Romande secondary school at Chailly on the shore of Lac Leman. The Mahidol family lived a simple life with his elder brother, Prince Bhumibol Adulyadej cycled to class each day. |
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She also trained her children in Buddhist principles, couching the lessons in terms that her children could readily understand. Rather than simply telling them what was right and wrong, she gave them reasons for it. She also taught them that they had a responsibility to help those less fortunate. Again, in her dual-purpose teaching, she provided them with a firm foundation of morality and, at the same time, the rationality for such acts. It was these early lessons that her son would apply in his approach to all topics later in life.
In Thailand, events were moving in a new direction. Following the abdication of His Majesty King Prajadhipok in 1935, H.H. Prince Ananda Mahidol, then 10 years old, was elevated to the Throne. |
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In the meantime, the young King and his brother continued to pursue their studies in Switzerland. In the shelter of Lausanne, the boys were exposed to new experiences that would serve them well when they grew older. They gained proficiency in several languages, and, by vacationing in neighboring countries, were introduced to different ways of life. |
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| In 1938, the family returned to Thailand for a short period during which His Majesty King Ananda Mahidol bestowed upon his mother the title of Somdet Phra Rajajonani Sri Sangwan, or Her Royal Highness Princess Sri Sangwan the Princess Mother. But with their education incomplete and the clouds of war growing over Europe, the Princess Mother elected to return to Switzerland with her children to continue their education. The family remained there for another seven years prior to their return to Thailand in December 1945. |
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