Katya & the Prince of Siam

The moving love story between a young Thai prince and his Ukrainian bride. It incorporates time at both the Russian and Siamese courts and the birth of their much loved son Prince Chula.

Katya and the Prince of Siam is the story of a daring love affair and marriage between a beautiful young Ukrainian-Russian girl Ekaterina Ivanovna Desnitskaya from Kiev and Prince Chakrabongse, one of King Chulalongkorn's favorite sons. It tells of their meeting in St Petersburg in 1904 where the Prince had an honorary commission in the Hussars as a protégé of Tsar Nicolas II, of elopement to Constantinople and their journey to Siam. At first she was an outcast in Thai Society, known as Mom Katerin, but gradually gained love and respect. In 1908, their son, Prince Chula, was born and for the next 10 years they enjoyed life in Bangkok society as well as making various trips abroad and throughout Siam.

Making use of unpublished archive material, the book is a fascinating insight into life of both pre-Revolutionary Russia and the Siamese court. This revised edition by Narisa Chakrabongse includes many newly found letters which provide new insights into the lives of Katya, Prince Chakrabongse and their son Prince Chula.