Vajirunhis

Vajirunhis
วชิรุณหิศ
Vajirunhis; วชิรุณหิศ;
	Crown Prince Vajirunhis, c. 1890s
Crown Prince of Siam
Tenure	14 January 1886 – 4 January 1895
Appointer	Chulalongkorn (Rama V)
Predecessor	Position established; (Wichaichan as Viceroy);
Successor	Vajiravudh (later Rama VI)
Born	27 June 1878; Bangkok, Siam
Died	4 January 1895 (aged 16); Bangkok, Siam
Dynasty	Chakri
Father	Chulalongkorn (Rama V)
Mother	Savang Vadhana
Religion	Theravada Buddhism
Signature

Maha Vajirunhis, Crown Prince of Siam (Thai: มหาวชิรุณหิศ; RTGS: Maha Wachirunnahit; 27 June 1878 – 4 January 1895) was the first Crown Prince of the Chakri dynasty. He was the first son of King Chulalongkorn and Queen Savang Vadhana together, who were half-siblings.

The King built a palace for the Prince, nicknamed Windsor Palace. The European-style palace was demolished after his death. The site is now occupied by the National Stadium of Thailand.

Heir apparent

In 1886, after the death of the last Viceroy, Wichaichan, King Chulalongkorn chose not to appoint one of his brothers as the new Viceroy, but instead appointed his eldest son as the Crown Prince of Siam. On 14 January 1886, he was officially introduced to his position with the title of Sayam Makutratchakuman, or Crown Prince of Siam. From this appointment Sir Ernest Mason Satow, the British ambassador to Thailand, brought a telegraph of congratulations from Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom.^[1]

Private interests

Prince Vajirunhis was interested in the liberal arts, writing daily in a diary he was given by his father at the age of five. He wrote many poems. One, written for his father on 25 October 1888, is below:

Love who as love is	Father
Love doesn't want to ever estrange	Even a little
Love what else cannot be	Equal to him
Much love cannot be away from	Father someday

Death

He died unexpectedly of typhoid fever at age 16, long before he could reach the throne. King Chulalongkorn's second son, Prince Vajiravudh, was then named crown prince, and succeeded him as Rama VI in 1910.