[et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ fullwidth=”on” _builder_version=”4.27.4″ background_image=”https:\/\/thesiamsociety.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/Jurney-to-Southern-cover-E.jpg” locked=”off” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_fullwidth_header _builder_version=”4.27.4″ background_color=”RGBA(255,255,255,0)” background_image=”https:\/\/thesiamsociety.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/queen.jpg” background_size=”contain” background_repeat=”repeat” min_height=”350px” max_height=”500px” global_colors_info=”{}” background__hover_enabled=”on|desktop”][\/et_pb_fullwidth_header][\/et_pb_section][et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ _builder_version=”4.16″ collapsed=”off” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_row column_structure=”3_5,2_5″ use_custom_gutter=”on” custom_padding_last_edited=”on|tablet” _builder_version=”4.16″ custom_margin=”|auto|28px|auto|false|false” custom_padding=”0px||15px|||” custom_padding_tablet=”0px||0px||false|false” custom_padding_phone=”0px||||false|false” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column type=”3_5″ module_class=”second-on-mobile” _builder_version=”4.16″ custom_padding_tablet=”0px||||false|false” custom_padding_last_edited=”off|phone” global_colors_info=”{}” custom_padding__hover=”|||”][et_pb_blurb url=”\/lectures\/” use_icon=”on” font_icon=”H||divi||400″ icon_placement=”left” image_icon_width=”24px” _builder_version=”4.16″ body_font=”|700|||||||” link_option_url=”\/lectures\/” icon_font_size=”24px” global_colors_info=”{}” body_text_color__hover_enabled=”on|hover” body_text_color__hover=”rgba(29,39,49,0.7)”]Back to Lectures[\/et_pb_blurb][et_pb_text admin_label=”Pre-header message” _builder_version=”4.16″ _dynamic_attributes=”content” module_alignment=”center” custom_margin=”||15px||false|false” custom_css_main_element=”text-align: left;” text_text_align=”center” global_colors_info=”{}”]@ET-DC@eyJkeW5hbWljIjp0cnVlLCJjb250ZW50IjoiY3VzdG9tX21ldGFfcHJlLWhlYWRlcl9tZXNzYWdlIiwic2V0dGluZ3MiOnsiYmVmb3JlIjoiIiwiYWZ0ZXIiOiIiLCJlbmFibGVfaHRtbCI6Im9uIn19@[\/et_pb_text][et_pb_text admin_label=”Lecture Topic Heading” _builder_version=”4.27.0″ _dynamic_attributes=”content” header_text_color=”#8e794c” max_width_tablet=”90%” max_width_phone=”100%” max_width_last_edited=”off|desktop” module_alignment=”center” custom_margin=”||62px|||” custom_padding=”||30px||false|false” module_alignment_last_edited=”off|tablet” custom_css_main_element=”text-align: left;” border_width_bottom=”1px” border_color_bottom=”#dbd3d8″ text_text_align=”center” global_colors_info=”{}”]@ET-DC@eyJkeW5hbWljIjp0cnVlLCJjb250ZW50IjoicG9zdF90aXRsZSIsInNldHRpbmdzIjp7ImJlZm9yZSI6IjxoMT4iLCJhZnRlciI6IjwvaDE+In19@[\/et_pb_text][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.27.4″ text_font=”||||||||” header_font=”||||||||” width=”100%” custom_margin=”||40px||false|false” custom_padding=”0px||||false|false” custom_padding_tablet=”50px||||false|false” custom_padding_phone=”” custom_padding_last_edited=”on|phone” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n
Ever since she became Queen Consort to H.M. King Prajadhipok in 1926, Queen Rambhai Barni had shown herself to the world as a charming modern lady of Siam, thereby helping to establish Siam\u2019s place in the world amidst economic, social and political changes after the First World War.<\/p>\n
She endured with him, after his abdication, the dangers and the rationing during the Second World War in England. She stayed on there after his demise and served as a volunteer at a medical facility in London.<\/p>\n
Having returned to Thailand in 1949, the Dowager Queen set up her orchard and farm at Suan Baan Kaew in rural Chanthaburi province.<\/p>\n
There, she adapted many things she witnessed abroad for use. These were to do with agriculture, workers\u2019 and children\u2019s welfare, and innovations to the local craft of rush mat weaving by women. Recognizing the importance of further education, she sold Suan Baan Kaew to the Ministry of Education so that a teacher\u2019s training college could be established there. The college has since become Rambhai Barni Rajabhat University of today.<\/p>\n
She also had an operating theatre building put up in 1953 for the then dilapidated provincial hospital. This paved the way for the government to expand the hospital and rename it Prapokklao Hospital, today\u2019s most well-equipped hospital to serve the Eastern Region.<\/p>\n
[\/et_pb_text][et_pb_blurb title=”About the speaker” icon_placement=”left” _builder_version=”4.27.4″ header_level=”h3″ header_font=”||||||||” custom_padding=”||10px||false|false” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n
M.R. Prudhisan Jumbala<\/strong>, though trained in Sociology, was an Associate Professor at the Department of Government, the Faculty of Political Science, Chulalongkorn University, until his retirement in 2008. At present, he serves as the Deputy Chair of the King Prajadhipok and Queen Rambhai Barni Memorial Foundation and Committee Member and Secretary-General of the Prajadhipok-Rambhai Barni Foundation.<\/p>\n As a result of his experience of being involved in the King Prajadhipok Museum for many years, he turned himself into an amateur historian in the area of \u201cKing Prajadhipok Studies\u201d<\/p>\n Among his English language publications is the nearly 100-page article edited by Suchit Bunbongkarn and Prudhisan Jumbala, \u201cPrajadhipok: The King at the Transition to Constitutional Monarchy in Siam\u201d in Monarchy and Constitutional Rule in Democratizing Thailand<\/em>, Bangkok: Institute of Thai Studies, Chulalongkorn University, 2012, pp. 106-202. The article was then turned into a book in Thai, with the simple title of Prajadhipok Prachathipatai<\/em>, Bangkok: Chulalongkorn University Press, 2017.<\/p>\n He was also involved in preparing the English language rendition of a book, \u0e23\u0e31\u0e15\u0e19\u0e23\u0e32\u0e0a\u0e19\u0e32\u0e23\u0e35\u0e04\u0e39\u0e48\u0e1a\u0e32\u0e23\u0e21\u0e35\u0e1e\u0e23\u0e30\u0e1b\u0e01\u0e40\u0e01\u0e25\u0e49\u0e32<\/em> The Jewel on King Prajadhipok\u2019s Crown<\/em>, Bangkok: King Prajadhipok Museum, December 2007, a souvenir of the exhibition that was put up there at the time.<\/p>\n Importantly, his account of Queen Rambhai Barni\u2019s biography and character, based mainly on some 100 interviews given by those who knew her, was published in Thai as \u0e01\u0e38\u0e25\u0e2a\u0e15\u0e23\u0e35\u0e28\u0e23\u0e35\u0e2a\u0e22\u0e32\u0e21 \u0e2a\u0e07\u0e48\u0e32\u0e07\u0e32\u0e21\u0e17\u0e38\u0e01\u0e01\u0e32\u0e25\u0e2a\u0e16\u0e32\u0e19<\/em> (A Lady of Siam: Ever Serene Everywhere) by the King Prajadhipok\u2019s Institute (sic.) in 2017 and republished in 2024.<\/p>\n [\/et_pb_blurb][\/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type=”2_5″ module_class=”first-on-mobile” _builder_version=”4.16″ background_color=”#4e4e4d” custom_padding=”40px|40px|40px|40px|true|true” custom_padding_tablet=”” custom_padding_phone=”|40px||40px|true|true” custom_padding_last_edited=”on|phone” custom_css_main_element=”margin-bottom: 50px;” border_width_top=”4px” border_color_top=”#8e794c” border_width_bottom=”2px” border_color_bottom=”#8e794c” global_colors_info=”{}” custom_padding__hover=”|||”][et_pb_blurb title=”When” icon_placement=”left” _builder_version=”4.27.4″ header_level=”h3″ header_font=”||||||||” background_layout=”dark” custom_padding=”||0px||false|false” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n Saturday, 23 August 2025 at 14:00<\/p>\n [\/et_pb_blurb][et_pb_blurb title=”Where” icon_placement=”left” _builder_version=”4.25.1″ _dynamic_attributes=”content” header_level=”h3″ header_font=”||||||||” background_layout=”dark” custom_padding=”||10px||false|false” global_colors_info=”{}”]@ET-DC@eyJkeW5hbWljIjp0cnVlLCJjb250ZW50IjoiY3VzdG9tX21ldGFfbGVjdHVyZV9sb2NhdGlvbiIsInNldHRpbmdzIjp7ImJlZm9yZSI6IiIsImFmdGVyIjoiIiwiZW5hYmxlX2h0bWwiOiJvbiJ9fQ==@[\/et_pb_blurb][et_pb_blurb title=”Admission” icon_placement=”left” _builder_version=”4.25.1″ _dynamic_attributes=”content” header_level=”h3″ header_font=”||||||||” background_layout=”dark” custom_padding=”||10px||false|false” global_colors_info=”{}”]@ET-DC@eyJkeW5hbWljIjp0cnVlLCJjb250ZW50IjoiY3VzdG9tX21ldGFfYWRtaXNzaW9uIiwic2V0dGluZ3MiOnsiYmVmb3JlIjoiIiwiYWZ0ZXIiOiIiLCJlbmFibGVfaHRtbCI6Im9uIn19@[\/et_pb_blurb][et_pb_blurb title=”For more information, please contact” icon_placement=”left” module_class=”contact-on-dark” _builder_version=”4.25.1″ _dynamic_attributes=”content” header_level=”h3″ header_font=”||||||||” background_layout=”dark” custom_padding=”||10px||false|false” global_colors_info=”{}” body_link_text_color__hover_enabled=”off” body_link_text_color__hover=”#81bbc3″]@ET-DC@eyJkeW5hbWljIjp0cnVlLCJjb250ZW50IjoiY3VzdG9tX21ldGFfbGVjdHVyZV9lbnF1aXJ5X2NvbnRhY3QiLCJzZXR0aW5ncyI6eyJiZWZvcmUiOiIiLCJhZnRlciI6IiIsImVuYWJsZV9odG1sIjoib24ifX0=@[\/et_pb_blurb][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][\/et_pb_section][et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ admin_label=”Section” _builder_version=”4.25.1″ background_color=”#eff1f3″ custom_margin=”||-27px||false|false” custom_margin_tablet=”” custom_margin_phone=”” custom_margin_last_edited=”on|phone” locked=”off” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_row use_custom_gutter=”on” gutter_width=”2″ disabled_on=”off|off|off” admin_label=”More Upcoming Trips” _builder_version=”4.25.1″ custom_padding=”23px||31px||false|” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”4.16″ custom_padding=”|||” global_colors_info=”{}” custom_padding__hover=”|||”][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.25.1″ text_font=”||||||||” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][et_pb_code admin_label=”Code” _builder_version=”4.25.1″ global_colors_info=”{}”]More upcoming lectures<\/h2>\n