Prince Chakrabongse's 1911 Grand Tour

Edited from diaries, journals and news items of the time, this is a fascinating account of the popular young Thai prince and his new bride travelling back to where they met (Ukraine and Russia) as well as other European countries and the coronation of the new British king. In 1911, Prince Chakrabongse and his wife Katya (Ekaterina Desnitskaya) made an epic journey by boat and train, across one third of the globe. They were returning to St Petersburg where after meeting in 1905 they had fallen in love and eloped. For Katya, after five challenging years in Bangkok, it was the first time she would see her family; for the prince it was the first time he would see the Tsar who had treated him like an adopted son. While Katya went to stay in with her family, Prince Chakrabongse went on to London to represent King Rama VI at the coronation of King George V.