Norodom Monineath Sihanouk ( km, នរោត្ដម មុនីនាថ សីហនុ, ; born Paule Monique Izzi; 18 June 1936) is the
queen mother
A queen mother is a former queen, often a queen dowager, who is the mother of the monarch, reigning monarch. The term has been used in English since the early 1560s. It arises in hereditary monarchy, hereditary monarchies in Europe and is also u ...
of
Cambodia
Cambodia (; also Kampuchea ; km, កម្ពុជា, UNGEGN: ), officially the Kingdom of Cambodia, is a country located in the southern portion of the Indochinese Peninsula in Southeast Asia, spanning an area of , bordered by Thailan ...
. She was
queen consort of Cambodia from 1993 to 2004, as the wife of King
Norodom Sihanouk. She is the widow of King-Father
Norodom Sihanouk, whom she married in 1955 as the "secondary consort" (Sihanouk married his official wife, Norodom Thavet Norleak, as the "first lady" also in 1955, before being married to Monineath). After Sihanouk and Norleak divorced in 1968, Monineath became the official spouse of the King.
Monineath and King Sihanouk had two children:
Norodom Sihamoni and
Norodom Narindrapong
Norodom Narindrapong ( km, នរោត្តម នរិន្រ្ទពង្ស ; 18 September 1954 – 7 October 2003) was a Prince of Cambodia. He was born in Phnom Penh to King Father Norodom Sihanouk and Queen Mother Norodom Monineath ...
; both were born before their parents married. Her official, full title is "Samdech Preah Mahaksatrey Norodom Monineath Sihanouk" ( km, សម្តេចព្រះមហាក្សត្រី នរោត្តម មុនិនាថ សីហនុ). The Queen is also called "Preah Voreakreach Meada Cheat Khmer" ( km, ព្រះវររាជមាតាជាតិខ្មែរ, lit. "mother of the Khmer nation"). Her birthday on 18 June is an official public holiday in Cambodia.
Biography
Early life
Norodom Monineath was born on 18 June 1936, in
Saigon,
French Indochina
French Indochina (previously spelled as French Indo-China),; vi, Đông Dương thuộc Pháp, , lit. 'East Ocean under French Control; km, ឥណ្ឌូចិនបារាំង, ; th, อินโดจีนฝรั่งเศส, ...
, in present-day
Vietnam
Vietnam or Viet Nam ( vi, Việt Nam, ), officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam,., group="n" is a country in Southeast Asia, at the eastern edge of mainland Southeast Asia, with an area of and population of 96 million, making i ...
. She was born Paule-Monique Izzi, and is sometimes referred to as Queen Monique.
Her father, Jean-François Izzi, was a French banker of
Corsican, French and
Italian
Italian(s) may refer to:
* Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries
** Italians, an ethnic group or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom
** Italian language, a Romance language
*** Regional Ita ...
descent, who was Director of Crédit Foncier in Saigon, and killed in
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...
. Her mother, Pomme Peang, was from
Phnom Penh.
![Queen Norodom Monineath Sihanouk Monique of Cambodia](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/1b/Queen_Norodom_Monineath_Sihanouk_Monique_of_Cambodia.jpg)
Norodom Monineath studied at the Primary School Norodom,
Sisowath High School, and the
Lycée René Descartes. She met Norodom Sihanouk in 1951, when he awarded her first prize in a beauty pageant. They lived together since 12 April 1952, and married on 5 March 1955 at
Khemerin Palace, as the "secondary consort" (Sihanouk married his official wife, Norodom Thavet Norleak, on 4 March 1955, before being married to Monineath). She has been described as the close confidant of Sihanouk.
1955-1970
In 1955, Princess Monique's husband abdicated in favor of his father, but continued to rule the country as premier. In 1960, he became head of state again, but known as premier and with the title prince. Princess Monique served as president of the
Cambodian Red Cross
The Cambodian Red Cross (CRC; km, កាកបាទក្រហមកម្ពុជា, ) is the largest humanitarian organization in Cambodia. Established on 18 February 1955, it is officially recognized by the Royal Government as the pri ...
(CRC) in 1967–1970.
Princess Monique, as she was called during this period, was exposed to some criticism from the Khmer Republic for her life during the reign of Sihanouk in the 1960s.
[Jacobsen, Trudy (2008). Lost Goddesses: The Denial of Female Power in Cambodian History. NIAS Press. ] The propaganda of the
Khmer Republic was later to accuse her of having caused the strained relationship between Sihanouk and his mother, the popular queen mother
Sisowath Kossamak
Sisowath Kossamak ( km, ស៊ីសុវត្ថិ កុសមៈ; 9 April 1904 – 27 April 1975) was the queen consort of King Norodom Suramarit of Cambodia, who reigned from 1955 to 1960. After her husband's death in 1960, her son Noro ...
, and for being the cause to why her spouse prevented his mother from succeeding to the throne in 1960.
[Trudy Jacobsen: Lost Goddesses: The Denial of Female Power in Cambodian History]
The Khmer Republic propaganda claimed that she had advised Sihanouk to introduce the unpopular state
casino
A casino is a facility for certain types of gambling. Casinos are often built near or combined with hotels, resorts, restaurants, retail shopping, cruise ships, and other tourist attractions. Some casinos are also known for hosting live entertai ...
, which was at the time viewed as a symbol of national decadence,
and alleged that she, her mother Madame Pomme, and her brother Oum Manorine contributed to corruption by promoting proteges to lucrative offices.
The Khmer Republic reportedly once burned her image in
effigy for corruption.
Khmer Rouge
After the
Cambodian coup of 1970
Cambodian usually refers to:
* Something of, from, or related to the country of Cambodia
** Cambodian people (or Khmer people)
** Cambodian language (or Khmer language)
** For citizens and nationals of Cambodia, see Demographics of Cambodia
** For ...
, she joined her husband in exile first in Beijing in China and then North Korea. As guests of the North Korean leader
Kim Il-sung
Kim Il-sung (; , ; born Kim Song-ju, ; 15 April 1912 – 8 July 1994) was a North Korean politician and the founder of North Korea, which he ruled from the country's establishment in 1948 until his death in 1994. He held the posts of ...
, a palace with 60 rooms was given them as their residence during their stay.
In 1973, Norodom Sihanouk allied himself with the Khmer Rouge against their common enemy,
Lon Nol
Marshal Lon Nol ( km, លន់ នល់, also ; 13 November 1913 – 17 November 1985) was a Cambodian politician and general who served as Prime Minister of Cambodia twice (1966–67; 1969–71), as well as serving repeatedly as defence min ...
. The royal couple also made a visit to Khmer Rouge territory in Cambodia before returning to China.
After the fall of Phnom Penh to the Khmer Rouge in April 1975, she returned to the royal palace in Phnom Penh in Cambodia with her husband, who was appointed nominal head of state by the Khmer Rouge. From 1976 onward, however, they were both kept under
house arrest by the Khmer Rouge. They were reportedly subjected to a political re-education program during these years, and at least 18 members of the extended royal house were killed. Reportedly, the regime suggested to have them executed, but this was prevented by intervention by China and North Korea.
In January 1979,
Pol Pot allowed for her and her husband to be evacuated from Cambodia by the Chinese. The original plan was to evacuate only Sihanouk and Monineath, but Pol Pot himself insisted that all members of the royal house should be given a place on the Chinese plane.
Later life
Norodom Monineath spent the following years with her husband as state guests of China and North Korea. She is credited to have played some part in the peace negotiations arranged between Sihanouk and
Hun Sen
Hun Sen (; km, ហ៊ុន សែន, ; born 5 August 1952) is a Cambodian politician and former military commander who has served as the prime minister of Cambodia since 1985. He is the longest-serving head of government of Cambodia, and ...
by
Tong Siv Eng in 1987 and 1988, and she is known to have been present during the negotiations.
In 1991, she returned to Cambodia with Sihanouk. On 22 February 1992, she was elevated by the King to the rank of ''Samdech Preah Cheayea''. On 24 September 1993, she was raised to the rank of ''Samdech Preah Mohèsey Norodom Monineath'' of Cambodia. On 2 January 1996, the King elevated her to the rank of Samdech Preah Reach Akka Mohèsey Norodom Monineath.
Sihanouk reportedly suggested to change the constitution to make it possible for her to be a regent and succeed him on the throne, but ultimately, this did not come about, and he chose to abdicate in favor of their son instead.
Monineath speaks
Khmer,
French, and
English
English usually refers to:
* English language
* English people
English may also refer to:
Peoples, culture, and language
* ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England
** English national ide ...
. She is currently the Cambodian Red Cross Honorary President.
In 2010 she was nominated for
Time Person of the Year
Person of the Year (called Man of the Year or Woman of the Year until 1999) is an annual issue of the United States news magazine and website ''Time'' featuring a person, a group, an idea, or an object that "for better or for worse ... has ...
by
Documentation Center of Cambodia
The Documentation Center of Cambodia (DC-Cam) is a Cambodian non-governmental organization whose mission is to research and record the era of Democratic Kampuchea (April 17, 1975 – January 7, 1979) for the purposes of ''memory'' and ''justice'' ...
Director
Youk Chhang who praised the Queen Mother as an "embodiment of resilience, dignity and courage."
Children
The King Father and the Queen Mother have two sons, all born before they got married:
*
Norodom Sihamoni (born 14 May 1953); was given the title of ''Samdech Krom Khun'' by HM the King in 1994 and was Ambassador of Cambodia to
UNESCO
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) aimed at promoting world peace and security through international cooperation in education, arts, sciences and culture. It ...
in Paris. He is the current
King of Cambodia.
*
Norodom Narindrapong
Norodom Narindrapong ( km, នរោត្តម នរិន្រ្ទពង្ស ; 18 September 1954 – 7 October 2003) was a Prince of Cambodia. He was born in Phnom Penh to King Father Norodom Sihanouk and Queen Mother Norodom Monineath ...
(18 September 1954 – 7 October 2003) has two daughters.
Patronages
* President of Honour of the
Cambodian Red Cross Society (President from 1967 until 1970).
* Co-President of the
Funcinpec Party
The National United Front for an Independent, Neutral, Peaceful and Cooperative Cambodia,; french: Front uni national pour un Cambodge indépendant, neutre, pacifique et coopératif commonly referred to as FUNCINPEC,, ; is a royalist politic ...
(from 1989 until 1992).
Honours
National
:
![KHM Ordre Royal du Cambodge - Grand Croix BAR](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/43/KHM_Ordre_Royal_du_Cambodge_-_Grand_Croix_BAR.svg)
Knight Grand Cross of the
Royal Order of Cambodia
The Royal Order of Cambodia ( km, គ្រឿងឥស្សរិយយសព្រះរាជាណាចក្រកម្ពុជា; french: Ordre royal du Cambodge) was a colonial order of chivalry of French Cambodia, and is still in use ...
.
Foreign
;:
:
![Decoration without ribbon - en](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/29/Decoration_without_ribbon_-_en.svg)
Member with Collar of the
Order of Friendship
The Order of Friendship (russian: Орден Дружбы, ') is a state decoration of the Russian Federation established by Boris Yeltsin by presidential decree 442 of 2 March 1994 to reward Russian and foreign nationals whose work, deeds ...
(6 November 2020)
;
Ethiopia
Ethiopia, , om, Itiyoophiyaa, so, Itoobiya, ti, ኢትዮጵያ, Ítiyop'iya, aa, Itiyoppiya officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a landlocked country in the Horn of Africa. It shares borders with Eritrea to the ...
:
![Order of The Queen of Sheba (Ethiopia) ribbon](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d2/Order_of_The_Queen_of_Sheba_%28Ethiopia%29_ribbon.gif)
Dame Grand Cordon of the
Order of the Queen of Sheba (7 May 1968)
;
: Honorary Recipient of the
Order of the Crown of the Realm (1996)
: Honorary Grand Commander of the
Order of the Defender of the Realm
The Most Esteemed Order of the Defender of the Realm ( ms, Darjah Yang Mulia Pangkuan Negara) is a Malaysian federal award presented for meritorious service to the country. The Order Motto are 'Dipeliharakan Allah-Pangkuan Negara' (By the Grace ...
(1963)
;:
:
![Mali Ordre national du Mali GC ribbon](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/e7/Mali_Ordre_national_du_Mali_GC_ribbon.svg)
Grand Cross of the
National Order of Mali
The National Order of Mali is the highest of honorific orders of Mali.
History
The National Order of Mali was founded on 31 May 1963 to celebrate the independence of the country acquired in 1960 after decades of French colonisation.
As such, ...
(1973)
Omsa.org
/ref>
References
External links
{{DEFAULTSORT:Norodom, Monineath
1936 births
Cambodian queens
Cambodian people of Corsican descent
Living people
People from Ho Chi Minh City
Cambodian people of French descent
Cambodian Theravada Buddhists
House of Norodom
Grand Crosses of the National Order of Mali
Cambodian people of Italian descent
Red Cross personnel
Queen mothers
Spouses of prime ministers of Cambodia
Princesses by marriage