Katya & The Prince of Siam

So much was this the case that Chakrabongse in 1912, his suspicions aroused, and therefore on the alert for signs of disaffection in the forces, obtained the confession of a repentant army officer, and uncovered a plot to depose the King that involved not only the army and navy, but a group of civilians. Their aims, however, seem to have been lacking in co-ordination, for while some favoured a constitutional monarchy governed by another prince – the most likely candidate being Chakrabongse himself – others would have preferred an outright republic with a president. In the event, so swiftly and secretly did Chakrabongse move, that on 27th February 1912, all those implicated were rounded up and arrested. After trial, some were actually condemned to death for treason, though later their sentences were commuted to life imprisonment.

In the course of the same year, in spite of the growing number of doctors trained in European medicine – a trend initiated since the reign of Chulalongkorn – a severe outbreak of smallpox found people still turning to traditional remedies instead of availing themselves of vaccination. However the King, by contributing a large sum from the Privy Purse to combat the disease, and by wisely insisting that his subjects must be persuaded and not compelled to be vaccinated, caused vaccination to become more popular, and smallpox was controlled, and eventually almost eliminated.

Vajiravudh also supported the foundation of the Pasteur Institute in Bangkok, where a snake farm produced serum against snake-bite. Inoculation against rabies was also perfected at the instigation of one of the King’s brothers, Prince Damrong, one of whose daughters had died from it. The Institute was staffed initially by a team of French doctors under the direction of a Dr Leopold Robert, of whom more will be heard later.

Events continued to be tense throughout the year and a letter to her brother from Katya in September gives a good idea of their life at this time:

 

‘Dear Vanya

‘I have been waiting for your letter for a long time. I have received your third postcard but your letter still does not arrive. You write that I am not interested in you. But on the contrary, I think it is you who are not interested in me… I have only written a little. Firstly, so many things have been happening here that I haven’t wanted to write letters and, more importantly, latterly I haven’t been feeling very well. I have been feeling weak. It is because this year there has been no cool season and at the moment it is extremely hot.