A relatively unknown monarch is marking his 70th birthday today.
If you were unaware that Cambodia had a monarchy, you are not alone. Reports on the Cambodian monarchy and its King are slim as the drama surrounding Cambodia’s royal neighbours in Japan and Thailand takes centre stage.
However, Cambodia is celebrating the 70th birthday of King Norodom Sihamoni, who has been on the throne for 18.5 years after the abdication of his father, King Norodom Sihanouk.
Norodom Sihamoni was born on 14 May 1953 in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, to King Norodom Sihanouk and Queen Monineath. He has 14 half-brothers and half-sisters through his father and one younger brother.
As a child, Prince Sihamoni was educated at the Norodom School and Lycée Descartes School in Cambodia before being sent to study abroad in Czechoslovakia in 1962. The young royal had a keen interest in the arts and even performed in The Nutcracker while in Prague.
A coup occurred in Cambodia to overthrow his father as Chief of State in 1970, and his father (who had abdicated in favour of his father in 1955) fled to China while Sihamoni stayed in Czechoslovakia. Prince Sihamoni received a degree in classical dance and music from the Academy of Performing Arts in Prague before obtaining a master’s degree in the same field. He graduated in 1975 and travelled to North Korea to study filmmaking.
Just a year later, he was tricked into returning to Cambodia by the Khmer Rouge, and regime dictator Pol Pot put the Cambodian Royal Family on house arrest. Extended members of his family were killed during the regime’s time in power before Vietnam invaded and overthrew the regime. At that point, the Royal Family was airlifted to China, where Sihamoni worked as a secretary for his father.
The Prince later had a career teaching ballet in France and spent time as a monk. Cambodia also selected him as its permanent representative at the United Nations and at UNESCO in Paris in the 1990s.
Prince Sihamoni’s father had been restored as King of Cambodia in 1993, and King Norodom Sihanouk chose to abdicate in 2004. In October of that year, a nine-member council chose Sihamoni as the next monarch; even though he was said to be reluctant to accept, he became King of Cambodia on 14 October 2004. His coronation took place a couple of weeks later, on 29 October.
The King is known to be very philanthropic, remains active with the arts, and has avoided getting into political frays, even when politicians have asked him to be more vocal.
He has been described as low-key and a dedicated monarch to his people. He remains out of the limelight and doesn’t attend many international events where foreign royals normally participate. Cambodia does have lèse-majesté, making it illegal to insult the King, but they have rarely been enforced.
King Norodom Sihamoni is not married and has no children. His parents said in the past that the King has no interest in relationships and has a sisterly affection toward women. The King is a devoted Buddhist, and his mother, Queen Mother Monineath, hinted that he has chosen a more monk-like way of life.
The next monarch of Cambodia will be selected by the Royal Council of the Throne, as Cambodia is an elective monarchy.
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