Biography,
Her Royal Highness Princess Galyani Vadhana Krom Luang Naradhiwas Rajanagarindra

Princess Galyani was born in the United Kingdom on May 6, 1923. She was two years older than King Ananda Mahidol, Rama VIII, and four years older than His Majesty King Bhumibol Adulyadej, Rama IX.

On her birth certificate issued in England, the Princess' given name was May. She was later bestowed the royal name Her Serene Highness Princess Galyani Vadhana Mahidol by King Vajiravudh, Rama VI.

In 1927, King Prajadhipok, Rama VII, elevated the little Princess to Her Highness Princess Galyani Vadhana. She became Her Royal Highness Princess Galyani Vadhana when King Rama VII abdicated and Princess Galyani's younger brother ascended the throne as King Ananda Mahidol. In 1995, when the Princess turned 72, His Majesty the King elevated her further to HRH Princess Galyani Vadhana, Princess of Naradhiwas, or Krom Luang Naradhiwas Rajanagarindra in Thai.

After living in Thailand at Sra Pathum Palace until she was two, the Princess accompanied her parents to Germany where King Ananda Mahidol was born. In 1926, the Mahidol family moved to Boston so Prince Mahidol could study medicine at Harvard University. While the young Princess was attending kindergarten in Boston, her youngest brother was born, later to become His Majesty King Bhumibol Adulyadej.

The family returned to Thailand in 1928, but after less than a year of medical practice, Prince Mahidol passed away as a result of chronic illness in 1929. The Princess was six years old.

“I still remember that day vividly,'' wrote the Princess in Jao Nai Lek Lek: Yuwakasat. She was called in to see the Princess Mother in her room. “Mother was sitting on a bench by the window. She drew me close to her and said something I couldn't remember, and then she cried, which made me cry, too.''

Despite her grief, the Princess Mother took great care to ensure that the three little royals had a normal and happy childhood. The family photo albums show the royal children enjoying outdoor games, playing in a sand box, digging waterways in the lawn, riding horses, flying kites and swimming in the sea.

Education
Princess Galyani was a student at Rajini School when the Princess Mother decided to move the family to Switzerland on the advice of their grandmother, Queen Savang Vadhana, citing little Prince Ananda Mahidol's frail health, which was vulnerable to tropical heat and humidity. The move was also an attempt to protect the young royals from the political instability in the country at that time.

Going along with the Queen's idea, the Princess Mother took her three children to live in Lausanne, Switzerland, in 1933. There the Princess started her primary education at the Miremont School.

Tumultuous Thai politics finally caught up with the young royals when King Prachadhipok, Rama VII, abdicated in 1934, and Prince Ananda Mahidol, then only nine years old, was called upon to take the throne.

The Princess Mother, however, took great pains to ensure that life remained as normal as possible for her three children. HRH Princess Galyani Vadhana continued her secondary education at École Supérieur de Jeune Filles de la Ville de Lausanne, where her curriculum included Latin and German.

In 1938, she was enrolled at the International School of Geneva, a boarding school. She topped her class when she graduated and was ranked third in the country.

The Princess chose to study chemistry for her bachelor's degree at Lausanne University's Faculty of Science. Pursuing her interests in liberal arts, she also took parallel courses in literature, philosophy and psychology at the Faculty of Social Science.

Marriage
During World War II the princess married Colonel Aram Rattakun Serireongrit, at the time the Thai military attache in Switzerland. They are the parents of a daughter, Thanpuying Dhasanawalaya Sornsongkram. They later divorced and the princess remarried in 1969 to HH Prince Varananda Dhavaj, who died in 1990

Royal projects
Under the princess' royal patronage, projects include the traditional Thai arts, education, sports, social welfare, etc. She is president and honorary president of various organisations and foundations, including the Cardiac Children’s Foundation, the Princess Mother’s Charity Fund, the Autistic

Foundation of Thailand. She has created her own foundation for funding the studies of gifted young musicians. She is a patron of various classical music foundations. With her trips, she always gathered important and useful information which are shown in the Royal news, giving knowledge to people. She also writes books, poetry, and speaks French. She has traveled widely within Thailand and abroad to represent the royal family and her country on missions.