Prince Norodom Yuvaneath (, 17 October 1943 – 13 January 2021) was the first son of the late king of

Cambodia Cambodia, officially the Kingdom of Cambodia, is a country in Southeast Asia on the Mainland Southeast Asia, Indochinese Peninsula. It is bordered by Thailand to the northwest, Laos to the north, and Vietnam to the east, and has a coastline ...

Norodom Sihanouk Norodom Sihanouk (; 31 October 192215 October 2012) was a member of the House of Norodom, Cambodian royal house who led the country as Monarchy of Cambodia, King, List of heads of state of Cambodia, Chief of State and Prime Minister of Cambodi ...

and Princess Sisowath Pongsanmoni. He was the half-brother of the current king,

Norodom Sihamoni Norodom Sihamoni (, ; born 14 May 1953) is King of Cambodia. He became King on 14 October 2004, a week after the abdication of his father, Norodom Sihanouk. He is the eldest son of King Sihanouk and former Queen consort Norodom Monineath and ...

Early life and education

Prince Norodom Yuvaneath was born on 17 October 1943 at the

Royal Palace of Cambodia The Royal Palace of Cambodia () is a complex of buildings which serves as the official official residence, royal residence of the Monarchy of Cambodia, King of Cambodia. Its full name in Khmer language, Khmer is the ''Preah Barom Reacheaveang Cha ...

Phnom Penh Phnom Penh is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Cambodia, most populous city of Cambodia. It has been the national capital since 1865 and has grown to become the nation's primate city and its political, economic, industr ...

as the eldest son and second child of Norodom Sihanouk and Sisowath Pongsanmoni. At the time, Cambodia was under Japanese occupation whilst his father had previously been crowned on 3 May 1941. Prince Yuvaneath attended Sisowath High School in Phnom Penh where he learnt to speak French and English along with his native Khmer.

Exile from Cambodia

At age 27, he joined his father in going into exile in China following a coup which abolished the monarchy and established the

Khmer Republic The Khmer Republic (, ; ) was a Cambodian state under the United States-backed military dictatorship of Marshal Lon Nol from 1970 to 1975. Its establishment was formally declared on 9 October 1970, following the 18 March 1970 coup d'état w ...

. They would reside together in Beijing until Yuvaneath moved with his wife Tea Kim Yin to go live in Hong Kong. He again moved with his family to

Connecticut Connecticut ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, New York (state), New York to the west, and Long Island Sound to the south. ...

in the United States where he was employed with the US Surgical Corporation.Norodom Yuvaneath, prince of Cambodia
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Return to Cambodia

In 1993, after the

Vietnam Vietnam, officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam (SRV), is a country at the eastern edge of mainland Southeast Asia, with an area of about and a population of over 100 million, making it the world's List of countries and depende ...

ese left Cambodia, King

returned to Cambodia and re-established the monarchy. On 31 December of that year, he elevated Prince Yuvaneath to the rank of ''Sdech Krom Luon'', appointing him

privy counsellor The Privy Council, formally His Majesty's Most Honourable Privy Council, is a formal body of advisers to the sovereign of the United Kingdom. Its members, known as privy counsellors, are mainly senior politicians who are current or former ...

to His Majesty the King, a rank equal to that of

deputy prime minister A deputy prime minister or vice prime minister is, in some countries, a Minister (government), government minister who can take the position of acting prime minister when the prime minister is temporarily absent. The position is often likened to th ...

. After King Sihanouk abdicated, the new king

, Yuvaneath's younger stepbrother, appointed Yuvaneath the supreme royal advisor.''Khemara Times'' Newspaper. 3 June 2006.
Online Version. p. 1 & 5. Accessed March 3, 2007 In this capacity, Yuvaneath proclaimed his opposition to the tribunal of former

Khmer Rouge The Khmer Rouge is the name that was popularly given to members of the Communist Party of Kampuchea (CPK), and by extension to Democratic Kampuchea, which ruled Cambodia between 1975 and 1979. The name was coined in the 1960s by Norodom Sihano ...

leaders, believing that the 1975-1979 turmoil resulting in the massacre of over two million Cambodians was a result of foreign intervention by the Vietnamese and Thai governments. Yuvaneath also stated his belief that a trial would be contrary to the interests of national reconciliation. Yuvaneath was also a Commander of the

Royal Order of Monisaraphon The Royal Order of Monisaraphon () was founded by King Sisowath of Cambodia on 1 February 1905. It is conferred for accomplishment and outstanding support in the fields of education, arts, science, literacy, or social works. History The Order o ...

Personal life

Norodom Yuvaneath married Tea Kim Yin in June 1962. His son Prince Norodom Ekcharin had died as a child in 1976 during the Khmer Rouge regime. Veakchiravouth and parents in Hong Kong 1970

Veakchiravouth and parents in Hong Kong 1970

Death

Yuvaneath died of illness at

Branford, Connecticut Branford is a shoreline New England town, town located on Long Island Sound in New Haven County, Connecticut, United States, about east of downtown New Haven, Connecticut, New Haven. The town is part of the South Central Connecticut Planning Regi ...

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

on 13 January 2021. He was 77 years old when he died.

Notes

References

External links

Norodom Family Home Page
Wedding pictures of H.H. Prince Veakchearavouth's marriage ceremony, 2001 {{DEFAULTSORT:Norodom, Yuvaneath 1943 births 2021 deaths Cambodian princes House of Norodom Scouting and Guiding in Cambodia Children of prime ministers of Cambodia People from Phnom Penh Members of the Royal Order of Monisaraphon Sons of kings