King Bhumibol Adulyadej and the U.S. – An enduring friendship
In remembrance of His Majesty King Bhumibol Adulyadej, U.S. Embassy Bangkok presents historic moments of the enduring friendship between His Majesty King Bhumibol Adulyadej and the U.S.
The series begins with: “Celebrating the Birth of the Beloved King of Thailand”
At 8:45 a.m. on a chilly Monday morning, December 5, 1927, a six pound baby boy was born at Cambridge Hospital (now Mount Auburn Hospital), in the U.S. state of Massachusetts. On duty that morning was Dr. W. Stewart Whittemore, who would remember the Siamese boy he delivered and recorded on his birth certificate “Baby Songkla.” The doctor told The Boston Globe in 1960 that “He was a very good baby, indeed.” His Majesty King Bhumibol Adulyadej is the world’s only monarch born in the United States.
Photos and information courtesy of The King of Thailand Birthplace Foundation (KTBF) www.thailink.com/ktbf
Mount Auburn Hospital (formerly Cambridge Hospital). “Baby Songkla” was born here on December 5, 1927.
Birth certificate of His Majesty the King.
The Royal Birth was performed in this room (at the Mount Auburn Hospital). Dr. W. Stewart Whittemore (right) was the obstetrician who officiated the birth.
In 1960, His Majesty King Bhumibol met with the doctor and nurses who had presided at his birth.
HRH Prince Mahidol of Songkhla and his son Prince Bhumibol Adulyadej, Brookline, Massachusetts Photo: Office of the Prime Minister, Government Public Relations Department. King Bhumibol Adulyadej Visits the United States of America: A Souvenir Album, Bangkok, 1995, p. 27.
Prince Anandha, Princess Galyani Vadhana and Prince Bhumibol
The Mahidol family lived in a 6-room apartment at 63 Longwood Avenue, in the Boston suburb of Brookline. Photos courtesy of The King of Thailand Birthplace Foundation (KTBF) www.thailink.com/ktbf
“Brookline Former Home Welcomes Thailand King,” headlined by the Boston Globe, July 10, 1960 Source: Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Indelible Impressions of a Royal Visit, Bangkok, 1999, p. 118.
His Majesty King Bhumibol Adulyadej of Thailand Square at the corner of Eliot and Bennett Streets, Massachusetts. Photos courtesy of The King of Thailand Birthplace Foundation (KTBF) www.thailink.com/ktbf
A plaque at His Majesty King Bhumibol Adulyadej of Thailand Square. Photos courtesy of The King of Thailand Birthplace Foundation (KTBF) www.thailink.com/ktbf
