I came across this stunning photo of King Prajadhipok (Rama VII) of Siam visiting Germany on 6 July 1934. He was greeted by German leader Adolf Hitler. The meeting took place just two years after the abolition of absolute monarchy and only eight months before the King’s abdication in March 1935.
His German trip was part of his tour of Europe from 1933 to 1934, which included Germany, Portugal, Switzerland, Ireland and Denmark. He arrived in Germany by ship from Birmingham on 2 July 1934, stopping over briefly in Copenhagen. The King was accompanied by his wife — Queen Rambhai Barni. It was reported that the meeting took place at Berlin’s city hall. As they met for the first time, King Prachadhipok shook hands with Hitler. Afterwards, they proceeded to visit cutting-edge gasoline plants and other modern scientific laboratories.
After Berlin, the King went on to visit a Thai pavilion at Bad Homburg, Bavaria. He spent the afternoon there, enjoying beautiful gardens, buying some souvenirs, and also eating lunch at the pavilion.
Could this just be a normal trip, or rather was it a trip that was meant to seek support from a great nation, like Germany at the time, for reclaiming royal power at a critical moment in Thai politics?
Pavin Chachavalpongpun is an Associate Professor at the Centre for Southeast Asian Studies, Kyoto University
That photo was circulated in 2010 by some PAD supporters as evidence of the high esteem the Thai royalty was held in internationally.
The comment said something like “See how our monarchy is respected, getting to meet all the great leaders in history, such as Hitler.”
Oops.
Yet there’s nothing too strange about royals hobnobbing with Hitler. Most of the European elites were doing that at that time – remember the Nazis staged the Olympics in 1936 so were widely accepted by the international community.
Just for the record here’s a pic of the former British (and Australian king) Edward 8th meeting Hitler.
http://bit.ly/JLUQh8
There’s also some evidence that suggests Edward 8th and his wife were outright Nazi sympathisers. Rumours still persist in the UK that were prepared to come back and be re-installed as King and Queen should a Nazi invasion be successful.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/2074100.stm
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A beautiful picture to see when the German leader and the Thai monarch are still very good looking. This reminds all of us how life changes.
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Great photo ! Pavin, where is the cover inscription from? It must have been printed some weeks before the trip because in fact Prajadhipok did not depart until Jan 12th 1934 and he never returned, abdicating from England by letter in 1935. The official reason for the trip to Europe was to seek medical treatment in England, but this was just a few months after the failed Boworadet Rebellion and royal prestige was lower than ever – as always looks can be deceiving Charoenkhwan Sabye Sabye #2. I agree with Andrew #1 that this meeting with Hitler was probably not as sinister as our modern eyes might perceive. He visited many countries in Europe and no doubt he was trying to promote progress for Siam and perhaps bolster royal prestige a little on the way. But according to Thai gov website http://thailand.prd.go.th/ebook/imprint/page4.php he wished “to keep it as unofficial as possible” which does not suggest a concerted royalist campaign in Europe.
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> “He arrived in Germany by ship from Birmingham”
Airship?
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Not sure that we should read much into Prajadhipok’s meeting/greeting with Hitler. In his famous 1933 “Economic Plan” (a year prior to Rama VII-Hitler meeting), Pridi himself cited Hitler’s presumed State-run economic policy in support of his own Plan
“At present Germany recognizes that the country does well with government running the economy, and hence has entrusted the government to Hitler who believes in the doctrine of government managing the economy itself”
(see the English text here, page 106 http://www.openbase.in.th/files/pridibook049part2_4.pdf )
In my view, foreign “Great Dictators” – from Hitler to Stalin, from Mao to Pol Pot – has never been an important issue in Thai political discourses, either in academic circles or in public at large.
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Jon Wright
Thanks
I meant to say, from his base in Birmingham, he left England by ship…. The statement was taken from the booklet (picture above). Having lived in England for many years, I should have known that Birmingham is nowhere near the English shore. 
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Bad Homburg is in “Hesse” not “Bavaria”!
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The real reason he went overseas was not medical treatment, but to begin a re-negotiation with the People’s Party gov for a new power arrangement. Prajadhipok thought that he had, as he once told James Baxter, a British adviser, a “most dangerous weapon” in this negotiation, namely, threat to abdicate, which he said to Baxter, he had “used quite effectively for a number times already”. He further told Baxter that in order for this weapon to be more effective, he had to be “able to find some safe place to live”, certainly not in Siamese capital.
I understand that his choice of overseas “base” for this planned re-negotiation had been England all along. The fact that he also took opportunity to visit some European countries was neither interesting nor consequential.
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In 1934 Germany was still struggling to overcome economic recession and political restrictions by its Allied neighbours and no major political player at that time. 5 years later it would have been a different story
At that time, Hitler was just one of many autocratic leaders in Europe. It’s a nice shot from a stopover and just formal greetings by his host on a state visit, nothing more.
Bad Homburg is not located in Bavaria, it’s close to Frankfurt. Rama V spent some months there somehow recovering from a long illness and presented that pavillion as a gift.
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ST
Yub, it is in Hesse–my mistake for relying on the booklet alone.
Pavin
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Just read that a Dem Party MP shouted out “Heil Hitler” in the Thai parliament today.
I guess, just like Dr. Strangelove, he couldn’t help himself….
http://www.naewna.com/politic/5542
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thanks for sharing. a small mistake:
Bad Homburg is not in Bavaria, but in Hessen, near to Frankfurt am Main.
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Two grand figures who royally ruined their countries history, but Germans were quicker to recover from Uncle Adolf – Thailand still has to suffer from it’s royalist die-hard Dems.
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HowLowCanWeGo#13
I don’t think Prajadhipok can be fairly blamed for ruining the country. If you’re a republican that was the legacy of Vajiravudh. And if you’re a royalist it was the People’s Party that ruined the country. Prajadhipok’s failing was to be ineffectual.
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Andrew, # 11
Cannot help asking you this question: what would society in the UK think if an opposition MP shouted “Heil Hitler” to mock the House Speaker and also accused him of practicing “parliamentary dictatorship”.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6fD8zsKEjYc&feature=youtu.be
This is the latest amazing action by Thailand’s Democrat MPs and his name is Boonyod, a former TV newscaster. Earlier, Nat, another MP who is son of former Democrat leader Banyat Banthat-than, was caught watching pornographic clip with his hand-phone during house session. Few months back, Dem MP from Samut Sakhon became suspect in the fatal shooting of a rival provincial official. Up to now he declined police investigation by claiming house immunity.
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How ironic that he broke bread with that most German of German military leaders a mere two years after he was overthrown in part by German trained military officers.
I’ve come to respect Prajadhipok after reading Batson’s work on the fall of the absolute monarchy. He is shown to be a real democrat and humble enough to listen to others.
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TU: “another MP … Few months back …”
Why the obsession with the Dems? Two words: Chalerm Yubamrung
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Jon Wright
Interestingly the “Chalerm is drunk” story was pure rumour without a single shred of evidence except some Dem MPs screaming abuse in parliament.
A Dem MP was caught looking at porn.
A Dem MP is wanted in connection with a murder investigation.
A Dem MP did Sieg Heil the speaker in Parliament.
These are facts, not rumours.
As for background I believe Boonyod was once an actor who appeared in tacky, erotic films and once worked for ASTV. He is also the MP who went rifling through the rubbish looking for evidence of Chalerm’s drinking.
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TU
I think that if an MP “Sieg Heiled” the UK parliament their political career would be over.
Given that Boonyod works for Abhisit he will probably be promoted.
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Oh, just dug up the trailer of the movie the Heil Hitler Dem Party MP once appeared in should anyone be bored enough to watch it.
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As a loyal Thai, I am shocked that the farang Hitler was allowed to actually touch our sacred King. And also allowed to stand when he should have been prostrating himself at the feet of our sacred King. Hitler is lucky he was not arrested on the spot and flown to Thailand to stand trial for Lese Majeste.
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Maratjp #16
Hitler was born Austrian
Batson does not portray Prajadhipok as “a real democrat”. Batson states “Prajadhipok sought to follow in the footsteps of Mongkut and Chulalongkorn in imposing basic changes on Thai society from above.” Furthermore Batson provides the entire “memorandum” written to Francis Sayre in 1926 in which Prajadhipok outlines his thoughts on ruling the country;
“Must this country have a parliamentary system one day………..I personally have my doubts”
“Is this country ready to have some sort of representative Government………..my personal opinion is an emphatic NO”
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@Somchai
Why are you not surprised Hitler was not charged with LM? You shouldn’t be. This is because Hitler himself also has a law which is kinda equivalent to LM to protect him as well. During the Nazi regime, anyone can report anyone who opposes Hitler to the authorities and the person reported will be jailed or sent to GULAG. So if Thai authorities dare charge Hitler with LM, they should know what awaits them: hardcore labour camp :p
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Andrew Spooner:
I wasn’t really thinking about Chalerm’s ‘drunk’ episode – more about his sons’ escapades and his defending of them. I thought it was just incredible that this odious guy was invited to become a deputy prime minister. Wikipedia says that other odious figure, Samak Sundaravej, even made him Interior Minister – which is even more of an afront – assuming that ministry holds sway over police and public order.
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“A Dem MP did Sieg Heil the speaker in Parliament.”
Be fair, he probably did not have a clue what the implication was… it translates as ‘hail victory’ and he probably just wanted to show off his linguistic skills…
The photgraph was taken a mere 4 days after the end of the “Night of the Long Knives’, which purged the SA leadership from the National Socialist (Nazi) Party. The office of President was abolished on 1 Aug 1934, the day before Hindenburg actually died, and henceforth Chancellor Hitler (as he was on 6 Jul) became die Fuhrer (the Leader).
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Jon Wright
Not sure even Chalerm himself, however odious, is wanted in connection with shooting a man dead on camera or of ordering snipers to shoot unarmed civilians.
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Jayzee
The Dem MP shouted out “Heil Hitler”.
Kind of unambiguous.
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Andrew Spooner: “… shooting a man dead on camera or of ordering snipers to shoot unarmed civilians”
Names? First is Khanchit?
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@ Somchai # 21
Please tell me this is satire. With Thais, it is very hard to know.
If so, you are brilliant. If not, words fail me.
On second thoughts, your English is perfect, a very rare thing amongst Thais, so you are probably a farang satirist.
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Hitler was ‘above’ the law, his (god like) word was the law…remind you of any supreme being?
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