Rama Gallery

King Bhumibol and Queen Sirikit of Thailand in New Zealand

An official 8-day state tour of New Zealand by King Bhumibol Adulyadej (Rama IX) (1927-) and Queen Sirikit (1932-) of Thailand - photograph taken at Government House, Wellington, as a large group of Thai students gather around the King and Queen, below a full-length portrait of Queen Elizabeth II. Date: 1962

© Illustrated London News Ltd/Mary Evans

Thailand - Ayutthaya - Statue of Buddha

Statue of Buddha amid the ruins at Ayutthaya - the capital of Ayutthaya province in Thailand. The city was founded in 1350 by King U-Thong, who came here to escape a smallpox outbreak in Lop Buri, and proclaimed it the capital of his kingdom, often referred to as the Ayutthaya kingdom or Siam. Ayutthaya was named after the city of Ayodhya in India, the birthplace of Rama in the Ramayana. In 1767 the city was destroyed by the Burmese army, and the ruins of the old city now form the Ayutthaya historical park, which is recognized internationally as a UNESCO World Heritage Site

© Mary Evans / Grenville Collins Postcard Collection

Children of Rama VI of Siam

Three children of King Rama VI of Siam (modern Thailand). On the right is Phra Bat Somdet Phra Poramintharamaha Prajadhipok Phra Pok Klao Chao Yu Hua (1893 - 1941), the future King Rama VII, who was educated at Eton College! Following a coup in 1932 which led to a constitutional government being installed, Rama VII became a constitutional monarch, but concerned over the increasing powers of the ruling assemble, he abdicated in March 1935. Hi abdication statement read: "I am willing to surrender the powers I formerly exercised to the people as a whole, but I am not willing to turn them over to any individual or any group to use in an autocratic manner without heeding the voice of the people."

© Mary Evans Picture Library / Grayhams Collection