Katya & The Prince of Siam

Hardly had the two young boys begun to accustom themselves to life in so different an environment from that of their upbringing, when they heard from the king that at the Russian Emperor’s invitation, they were eventually to proceed to St Petersburg where they would both become members of the elite Corps des Pages, and that, more immediately, steps would be taken to provide them with a Russian teacher.

Slight, small of stature, with fine dark eyes and a rather deprecating shy expression, Prince Chakrabongse must have been greatly cheered that his father had ordained that Poum, not unlike him in appearance and about the same age, was to accompany him from one already strange environment in England to the unimaginable country of Imperial Russia. For both the boys it was a great adventure, more so for Poum, unaccustomed as he was to the ceremonial of court life and etiquette that had surrounded Chakrabongse from birth.

Both of them – after all they were only thirteen years old – must have found the prospect of adding Russian to their already heavy programme of studies, already in a foreign language, rather daunting, and therefore awaited with some apprehension the arrival of Mr Ardachef, a recently-graduated Russian philologist. Unhappily, he proved a great disappointment as he devoted every second of their lessons to a relentless grounding in Russian grammar, and ignored completely their need to acquire conversational vocabulary. In addition, he could not have been said to have a vocation for teaching, as he was both impatient and bad-tempered. Fortunately, after three months, he was replaced by a Mr Petrof, with whom they made better progress.

In May 1898, they left for Russia via Paris, where they were joined by the Siamese Minister to Russia, Phraya Suriya, Phraya Mahibal, their tutor, and his wife. Sad to say, no record remains of their long journey to St Petersburg where they were welcomed by a Court Minister, and driven to the vast Winter Palace. There a magnificent apartment, reserved for imperial guests, had been placed at their disposal and must indeed have seemed a change from Camberley!

Next day, Chakrabongse and Poum were taken to pay their respects to the Tsar at his summer residence, Peterhof, a superb eighteenth century edifice some thirty miles outside St. Petersburg, surrounded by an enormous park, where a thousand shimmering fountains played, and the wide Samson Canal linked the palace with the Baltic Sea.

Warmly greeted by their Imperial host, the newcomers, after a further fortnight in St Petersburg were not sorry to leave their rather over-impressive quarters to spend the summer in a charming villa – the Villa Krassovskova – near Peterhof. Here they learned that the Emperor intended they should both be entered in the Corps des Pages forthwith, and summer uniforms without epaulettes were immediately provided for them. For the present, however, they were to enjoy themselves in the fine sunny weather and long nights, the famous ‘White Nights’, when the sun does not set till eleven or twelve at night and twilight continues until two or three in the morning.

They were given bicycles on which they ran races and swooped and zig-zagged along the well-raked paths of the park. There was riding, drives in the imperial carriages and, once a week, an evening concert where the court orchestra in scarlet tunics, a livery dating from the eighteenth century, played superbly in the open air. Some listeners would saunter in attentive silence, while ladies-in-waiting, old Generals and Aides-de-Camp with gold ‘aiguillettes’ remained seated in their carriages, their coachmen and footmen in scarlet, their collars embroidered with the imperial eagle. The two Siamese also had the company of their future companions in the Corps des Pages who, from their Summer Camp nearby, strolled over to their villa and with much chatter and laughter and many questions encouraged them to talk in their still-halting Russian. Apart from a nasty riding accident when Chakrabongse’s horse bolted, causing him to fall on his head and suffer severe concussion, time passed happily and too quickly.

 

Poum, Deguy, their personal tutor, another teacher and Prince Chakrabongse at the Corps de Page.

 

Prince Chakrabongse whilst studying in the military academy.