Prince Nakkhatra Mangala, 2nd Prince of

Chanthaburi Chanthaburi (, ) is a town ('' thesaban mueang'') in the east of Thailand, on the banks of the Chanthaburi River. It is the capital of the Chanthaburi Province and the Mueang Chanthaburi District. The town covers the two ''tambons'' Talat an ...

(; ; 4 January 1898 – 11 February 1953), His Highness Prince Nakkhatra Mangala his birth name is His Serene Highness (Momchao) Prince Nakkhatra Mangala Kitiyakara he was the eldest son of Prince Kitiyakara Voralaksana, 1st Prince of Chanthaburi and Princess Apsarasaman Kitiyakara. He was the father of Queen Sirikit, father in-law of late Thai king King Bhumibol Adulyadej and maternal grandfather of the current king King Vajiralongkorn.

Education

Prince Nakkhatra Mangala received primary education at the royal palace, then studied at the King's College under the royal patronage. Until 1910, he studied at the Royal Thai Army Cadet Academy. In 1911, he went to study in England being a student under the

Ministry of Defence A ministry of defence or defense (see American and British English spelling differences#-ce.2C -se, spelling differences), also known as a department of defence or defense, is the part of a government responsible for matters of defence and Mi ...

in 1914, attending high school in France until receiving the

Baccalauréat The ''baccalauréat'' (; ), often known in France colloquially as the ''bac'', is a French national academic qualification that students can obtain at the completion of their secondary education (at the end of the ''lycée'') by meeting certain ...

certificate in both areas in science. He then attended the French cadet academy

École spéciale militaire de Saint-Cyr The École spéciale militaire de Saint-Cyr (, , abbr. ESM) is a French military academy, and is often referred to as Saint-Cyr (). It is located in Coëtquidan in Guer, Morbihan, Brittany. Its motto is ''Ils s'instruisent pour vaincre'', litera ...

where he received the ranks of lieutenant and sergeant in the

French army The French Army, officially known as the Land Army (, , ), is the principal Army, land warfare force of France, and the largest component of the French Armed Forces; it is responsible to the Government of France, alongside the French Navy, Fren ...

Careers

In 1920 he completed his studies in France. King Rama VI bestowed a second lieutenant on July 29, 1920, as a king guard under the 1st Infantry Regiment. Later, on January 27, 1922, King Rama VI bestowed the rank of lieutenant while studying military school in France. He also served in several French infantry regiments. On June 29, 1931, he was graciously pleased to hold a position Assistant Chief of Staff for the

Royal Thai Army The Royal Thai Army or RTA (; ) is the army of Thailand and the oldest and largest branch of the Royal Thai Armed Forces. History Origin The Royal Thai Army is responsible for protecting the kingdom's sovereignty. The army was formed in 187 ...

. In 1932, he retired from military officer then moved to serve in the

Ministry of Foreign Affairs In many countries, the ministry of foreign affairs (abbreviated as MFA or MOFA) is the highest government department exclusively or primarily responsible for the state's foreign policy and relations, diplomacy, bilateral, and multilateral r ...

in the position of first secretary position at the Royal Thai Embassy Washington two years later he resigned from his post and returned to Thailand. During this time, He studied various academic fields such as history, astrology and literature. Prince Nakkhatra Mangala represented the Ministry of Foreign Affairs as the

ambassador An ambassador is an official envoy, especially a high-ranking diplomat who represents a state and is usually accredited to another sovereign state or to an international organization as the resident representative of their own government or so ...

of the kingdom of Thailand to the

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in the United Kingdom, and to the government of France. He was the one who made his daughter, Mom Rajawongse Sirikit Kitiyakara fall in love with King

Bhumibol Adulyadej Bhumibol Adulyadej (5 December 192713 October 2016), titled Rama IX, was King of Thailand from 1946 until Death and funeral of Bhumibol Adulyadej, his death in 2016. His reign of 70 years and 126 days is the longest of any List of Thai mo ...

by sending his daughter to help take care of the king when he was car accident in

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in 1950. After he arranges for his daughter to be married with King

, he was appointed as member of The Privy Council in Rama XI reign and promoted to rank General in Royal Thai Army.

Issue

Prince Nakkhatra Mangala was married to Mom Luang Bua Sanidvongs. There are 4 children as follows: Kalyanakit Kitiyakara, Adulakit Kitiyakara, Sirikit Kitiyakara and Busba Kitiyakara. Prince Nakkhatra Mangala was a key person who pushed the Kitiyakara family into being part of royal blood line, the Mahidol family.

Death

He became ill with bronchitis in mid-January 1953 and on February 11, 1953, at 7.45 a.m., he died at the royal palace at the age of 55 years 1 month 8 days.

Honours

Thai honours

* Knight of the Most Illustrious Order of the Royal House of Chakri (1952) * Knight Grand Cross (First Class) of the Most Illustrious Order of Chula Chom Klao (1950) * Knight Grand Cordon (Special Class) of the Most Exalted

Order of the White Elephant __NOTOC__ The Most Exalted Order of the White Elephant (; ) is an order (decoration), order of Thailand. It was established in 1861 by King Mongkut, Rama IV of the Thailand, Kingdom of Siam. Along with the Order of the Crown of Thailand, it is r ...

(1952) * Knight Grand Cross (First Class) of the Most Noble

Order of the Crown of Thailand The Most Noble Order of the Crown of Thailand (; ) is a Thai order, established in 1869 by King Rama V of The Kingdom of Siam (now Thailand) for Thais, the royal family, governmental employees, and foreign dignitaries for their outstanding serv ...

(1950) * Dushdi Mala Medal ''For Arts'' (1927) * King Rama VII Royal Cypher Medal, 3rd Class (1926) * King Rama IX Royal Cypher Medal, 1st Class (1953) * Prabas Mala Medal (1897) * Dvidhabhisek Medal ribbon

Dvidha Bhisek Medal (1903) * Rajamangala Medal (1907) * Rajamangala Bhisek Medal (1908) * King Rama VI Coronation Medal (1911) * King Rama VII Coronation Medal (1925) * King Rama IX Coronation Medal (1950)

Foreign honours

* : **

Grand Cross of the

Order of the Dannebrog The Order of the Dannebrog () is a Denmark, Danish order of chivalry instituted in 1671 by Christian V of Denmark, Christian V. Until 1808, membership in the Order was limited to fifty members of noble or royal rank, who formed a single cla ...

(1950) * : ** Legion Honneur Officier ribbon

Officer of the National Order of the Legion of Honour (1928)ราชกิจจานุเบกษา
พระราชทานพระบรมราชานุญาตให้ประดับตราต่างประเทศ
เล่ม ๔๕ ตอนที่ ๐ ง หน้า ๕๘๗, ๒๐ พฤษภาคม ๒๔๗๑

Ancestry

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Nakkhatra Mangala Thai male Phra Ong Chao 19th-century Chakri dynasty 20th-century Chakri dynasty Kitiyakara family Ambassadors of Thailand to France Ambassadors of Thailand to the United Kingdom Knights Grand Cross of the Order of Chula Chom Klao Recipients of the Dushdi Mala Medal, Pin of Arts and Science 1898 births 1953 deaths Deaths from kidney disease Members of the Privy Council of Thailand