Norodom Sihamoni
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| Time in office: | Since October 14, 2004 | |
| Predecessor: | Norodom Sihanouk | |
| Date of Birth: | May 14, 1953 | |
| Place of Birth: | Phnom Penh | |
King Norodom Sihamoni of Cambodia (Khmer: Mul script 
; regular script 
, pronounced /nɔɾoːdɔm siːhamuniː/) is the King of Cambodia, the son of King Father Norodom Sihanouk and Queen Mother Monineath (also known as "Monique").
Title
His official Cambodian title is:
"Preah Karuna Preah Bat Sâmdech Preah Bâromneath Norodom Sihamoni, Preahmâhaksat (i.e. "king") of the Kingdom of Cambodia"
In Khmer:
File:Seihamuni6.png
File:Seihamuni10.png
The literal meaning of the title is:
Preah ("sacred", cognate of the Indian word Brahmin) Karuna ("compassionate", a Buddhist concept, see Karuna) Preah ("sacred") Bat ("foot", from Sanskrit pāda) Sâmdech ("Lord, Prince, Excellency") Preah ("sacred") Bâromneath (from Sanskrit parama meaning "supreme" and nātha meaning "Lord, protector") Norodom (given name of King Norodom of Cambodia, used as a family name by his descendants) Sihamoni (given name of King Norodom Sihamoni; Siha- means "lion", from Sanskrit siṃha; -moni comes from Sanskrit muni, meaning "wise, inspired, sage"; it is a portmanteau of his parents' names) Preahmâhaksat (Preah- "sacred"; -mâha- from Sanskrit, meaning "great", cognate with "maha-" in maharaja; -ksat meaning "warrior, ruler", of the Kingdom of Cambodia.
Career
Previously Cambodia's ambassador to UNESCO, he was named by a nine-member throne council as Sihanouk's successor. The then Prince Sihamoni was best known for his work as a cultural ambassador in Europe and his keen support for the arts. He was sent to Prague, Czechoslovakia by his father in 1962, where he, while attending elementary school, high school and Academy of Music Arts, studied classical dance and music until 1975. During the 1970 coup d'état by Lon Nol, Sihamoni remained in Czechoslovakia. In 1975, he left Prague and began to study filmmaking in North Korea, and in 1977 returned to his native Cambodia. Immediately, the ruling Khmer Rouge government turned against the monarchy, and Sihamoni was put under house arrest by the Khmer Rouge with the rest of the royal family until the 1979 Vietnamese invasion. In 1981 he moved to France to teach ballet and was later president of the Khmer Dance Association. He lived in France for nearly 20 years, but even then he regularly visited Prague, where he spent his childhood and youth. He has spent most of his life outside Cambodia.
In 1993 the prince was appointed Cambodian delegate to UNESCO, the UN cultural body based in Paris, where he became known for his hard work and his devotion to Cambodia.
On October 14, 2004, he was selected by a special nine-member council, part of a selection process that was quickly put in place after the surprise abdication of King Norodom Sihanouk a week before. Sihamoni's selection was endorsed by Prime Minister Hun Sen and National Assembly Speaker Prince Norodom Ranariddh (the new king's brother), both members of the throne council. He was crowned in Phnom Penh on October 29.
Sihamoni remains a bachelor and has no children, which means he does not have a direct successor. However, this is not a problem as the king in Cambodia is selected by the throne council.
Norodom Sihamoni speaks the Khmer language, is fluent in French and Czech, as well as good in speaking English and Russian.
External links
- King-Father Norodom Sihanouk official website
- Biography of Norodom Sihamoni
- Article about Norodom Sihamoni's coronation by Antonio Graceffo