Prince Varananda Dhavaj ( th, พระวรวงศ์เธอ พระองค์เจ้าวรานนท์ธวัช; ), born Prince Varananda Dhavaj Chudadhuj ( th, วรานนท์ธวัช จุฑาธุช; ; August 19, 1920 – September 14, 1990) was the son of Prince

Chudadhuj Dharadilok Prince Chudadhuj Dharadilok, Prince of Phetchabun ( th, จุฑาธุชธราดิลก; ), (4 July 1892– 8 July 1923) was a son of King Chulalongkorn and Queen Saovabha of Thailand. He was one of the most senior Thai princes during ...

and Mom Ravi Kayananda. Although he was the only son of a senior

Thai Thai or THAI may refer to: * Of or from Thailand, a country in Southeast Asia ** Thai people, the dominant ethnic group of Thailand ** Thai language, a Tai-Kadai language spoken mainly in and around Thailand *** Thai script *** Thai (Unicode block ...

prince, he was disqualified from succession to the throne because his mother was not Prince Chudadhut's formal wife. Following the death of his father, the prince was raised by his uncle King

Prajadhipok Prajadhipok ( th, ประชาธิปก, RTGS: ''Prachathipok'', 8 November 1893 – 30 May 1941), also Rama VII, was the seventh monarch of Siam of the Chakri dynasty. His reign was a turbulent time for Siam due to political and ...

. He joined the monarch in virtual exile in England. He enlisted in the

RAF The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the United Kingdom's air and space force. It was formed towards the end of the First World War on 1 April 1918, becoming the first independent air force in the world, by regrouping the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) and ...

on February 24, 1942, under the name Nicky Varanand, was commissioned in 1943, and served as pilot in the

Normandy campaign Operation Overlord was the codename for the Battle of Normandy, the Allied operation that launched the successful invasion of German-occupied Western Europe during World War II. The operation was launched on 6 June 1944 (D-Day) with the Norma ...

during

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 opposin ...

. He remained in the RAF, finally retiring as a

flight lieutenant Flight lieutenant is a junior commissioned rank in air forces that use the Royal Air Force (RAF) system of ranks, especially in Commonwealth countries. It has a NATO rank code of OF-2. Flight lieutenant is abbreviated as Flt Lt in the India ...

in 1960 to fly commercial aircraft for

Thai Airways International Thai Airways International Public Company Limited, trading as THAI (, th, บริษัท การบินไทย จำกัด (มหาชน)) is the flag carrier airline of Thailand. Formed in 1961, the airline has its corporate h ...

. He later created his own airline,

Air Siam Air Siam was an airline based in Thailand which operated from 1965 until 1976. History The airline was established as ''Varan Air-Siam'' on 15 September 1965 by Prince Varanand, who was the major shareholder at the time. Operations started in 1 ...

, which went bankrupt in 1977. In 1973, he also became an adviser to the Ministry of Agriculture.

Marriage and family

He married Mom Pamela Smee on June 10, 1950. Two children were born from this union: * Mom Rajawongse Dilok Nicholas Chudadhuj (1953), Married with Jane Bishop and Chulalaxana Chudadhuj. * Mom Rajawongse Dara Jane Chudadhuj (1956) On September 24, 1969, he married his cousin,

Princess Galyani Vadhana Galyani Vadhana, Princess of Naradhiwas ( th, กัลยาณิวัฒนา; ; 6 May 1923 – 2 January 2008) was a princess of Thailand and the elder sister of King Ananda Mahidol (Rama VIII) and King Bhumibol Adulyadej (Rama IX). She w ...

, King

Bhumibol Bhumibol Adulyadej ( th, ภูมิพลอดุลยเดช; ; ; (Sanskrit: ''bhūmi·bala atulya·teja'' - "might of the land, unparalleled brilliance"); 5 December 192713 October 2016), conferred with the title King Bhumibol the Great ...

's eldest sister. And had two concubines, Princess Kokeaw Prakaykavil na Chiang Mai and Srisalai Suchatwut.

References

*
HH Prince Varananda Dhavaj
1920 births 1990 deaths Thai male Phra Ong Chao Chudadhut family Alumni of Magdalene College, Cambridge Non-British Royal Air Force personnel of World War II Thai people of World War II Thai expatriates in the United Kingdom Royal Air Force officers Royal Air Force pilots of World War II Royal Air Force airmen Thai male Mom Chao 20th-century Chakri dynasty {{thailand-bio-stub