Prince Varananda Dhavaj ( th, พระวรวงศ์เธอ พระองค์เจ้าวรานนท์ธวัช; ), born Prince Varananda Dhavaj Chudadhuj ( th, วรานนท์ธวัช จุฑาธุช; ; August 19, 1920 – September 14, 1990) was the son of Prince

Chudadhuj Dharadilok Prince Chudadhuj Dharadilok, Prince of Phetchabun ( th, จุฑาธุชธราดิลก; ), (4 July 1892– 8 July 1923) was a son of King Chulalongkorn and Queen Saovabha of Thailand. He was one of the most senior Thai princes dur ...

and

Mom ] A mother is the female parent of a child. A woman may be considered a mother by virtue of having given childbirth, birth, by raising a child who may or may not be her biological offspring, or by supplying her ovum for fertilisation in the cas ...

Ravi Kayananda. Although he was the only son of a senior Thailand, Thai prince, he was disqualified from succession to the throne because his mother was not Prince Chudadhut's formal wife. Following the death of his father, the prince was raised by his uncle King

Prajadhipok Prajadhipok ( th, ประชาธิปก, Royal Thai General System of Transcription, RTGS: ''Prachathipok'', 8 November 1893 – 30 May 1941), also Rama VII, was the seventh King of Siam, monarch of Thailand, Siam of the Chakri dyn ...

. He joined the monarch in virtual exile in England. He enlisted in the RAF on February 24, 1942, under the name Nicky Varanand, was commissioned in 1943, and served as pilot in the Normandy campaign during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

. He remained in the RAF, finally retiring as a

flight lieutenant Flight lieutenant is a junior commissioned rank in air forces that use the Royal Air Force (RAF) system of ranks, especially in Commonwealth countries. It has a NATO rank code of OF-2. Flight lieutenant is abbreviated as Flt Lt in the Indi ...

in 1960 to fly commercial aircraft for

Thai Airways International Thai Airways International Public Company Limited, trading as THAI (, th, บริษัท การบินไทย จำกัด (มหาชน)) is the flag carrier airline of Thailand. Formed in 1961, the airline has its corporate ...

. He later created his own airline, Air Siam, which went bankrupt in 1977. In 1973, he also became an adviser to the Ministry of Agriculture.

Marriage and family

He married Mom Pamela Smee on June 10, 1950. Two children were born from this union: * Mom Rajawongse Dilok Nicholas Chudadhuj (1953), Married with Jane Bishop and Chulalaxana Chudadhuj. * Mom Rajawongse Dara Jane Chudadhuj (1956) On September 24, 1969, he married his cousin, Princess Galyani Vadhana, King Bhumibol's eldest sister. And had two concubines, Princess Kokeaw Prakaykavil na Chiang Mai and Srisalai Suchatwut.

References

*
HH Prince Varananda Dhavaj
1920 births 1990 deaths Thai male Phra Ong Chao Chudadhut family Alumni of Magdalene College, Cambridge Non-British Royal Air Force personnel of World War II Thai people of World War II Thai expatriates in the United Kingdom Royal Air Force officers Royal Air Force pilots of World War II Royal Air Force airmen Thai male Mom Chao 20th-century Chakri dynasty {{thailand-bio-stub