Princess Phongpraphai or ''Phra Chao Boromwongse Ther Phra Ong Chao'' Phongpraphai ( th, พระเจ้าบรมวงศ์เธอ พระองค์เจ้าผ่องประไพ) (19 December 1867 – 1 March 1942), was a Princess of
Siam
Thailand ( ), historically known as Siam () and officially the Kingdom of Thailand, is a country in Southeast Asia, located at the centre of the Indochinese Peninsula, spanning , with a population of almost 70 million. The country is bo ...
(later
Thailand
Thailand ( ), historically known as Siam () and officially the Kingdom of Thailand, is a country in Southeast Asia, located at the centre of the Indochinese Peninsula, spanning , with a population of almost 70 million. The country is b ...
). She was a member of the
Siamese Royal Family and the first child of
Chulalongkorn, King Rama V of Siam.
Birth
Princess Phongpraphai was born on 19 December 1867 at the
Grand Palace,
Bangkok
Bangkok, officially known in Thai as Krung Thep Maha Nakhon and colloquially as Krung Thep, is the capital and most populous city of Thailand. The city occupies in the Chao Phraya River delta in central Thailand and has an estimated populati ...
. She was the first child of
King Chulalongkorn (Rama V) and Noble Consort . When she was born, her father was still the heir-apparent as Prince Chulalongkorn, ''Kromma Khun Pinit Prachanart''. He became a father at age 14 with
''Mom Rajawongse'' Khae who was his nanny. The infant was given a title of
''Mom Chao'' in the ''Serene Highness'' style. When her father succeeded to the throne in 1868, ''Mom Chao'' Phongpraphai was elevated to
''Phra Ong Chao'', or ''Princess'', in the ''Royal Highness'' style. ''Mom Rajawongse'' Khae, her mother, became the first
''Chao Chom Manda'' (Noble Consort) of the reign.
Not long after she was born, the baby was brought by , the noble consort of
King Mongkut (Rama IV) to the king. The king inquired about her parents but the consort instead asked him whom she looked like. He answered that the baby looked like
Queen Debsirindra, his queen consort who was Prince Chulalongkorn's mother. He then realized that the baby was Prince Chulalongkorn's. The king was angry with both the Prince and ''Mom Rajawongse'' Khae for having a baby at such age, but he did not punish them.
Life and Death
After her father became King, Phongpraphai and her mother lived in their own residence within the
Grand Palace for the remainder of their lives. She had many step-siblings including
Princess Srivilailaksana, the Princess of Suphanburi.
In 1873, King Chulalongkorn changed the policy of how those in his presence should behave from the ancient tradition of crouching to the western tradition of standing or sitting on the chair. Every member of the Royal Family, including the officers, adopted the new tradition, except Phongpraphai who continued to crouch. In response, King Chulalongkorn pulled her daughter's tuft in an unsuccessful attempt to make her stand.
Phongpraphai died on 1 March 1942, at the age of 74.
Ancestry
{{DEFAULTSORT:Phongpraphai
1867 births
1942 deaths
19th-century Thai women
19th-century Chakri dynasty
20th-century Thai women
20th-century Chakri dynasty
Thai female Phra Ong Chao
Children of Chulalongkorn
Thai female Mom Chao
Daughters of kings