Norodom Buppha Devi

In this Cambodian name, the surname is Norodom. In accordance with Cambodian custom, this person should be referred to by the given name, Buppha Devi.

Norodom Buppha Devi (Khmer: នរោត្តម បុប្ផាទេវី [nɔroːˈɗɑm ɓopˈpʰaː teːʋiː]; 8 January 1943 – 18 November 2019)^[1] was a Cambodian princess, dancer, director of the Royal Ballet of Cambodia,^[2] senator, and Minister of Culture and Fine Arts. She was the daughter of Norodom Sihanouk and the late Neak Moneang Phat Kanhol, the elder sister of Prince Norodom Ranariddh, and a half-sibling of the current King of Cambodia, Norodom Sihamoni. Her official title was Her Royal Highness Samdech Reach Botrei Preah Ream Norodom Buppha Devi (Khmer: សម្តេចរាជបុត្រីព្រះរៀមនរោត្តម បុប្ផាទេវី).

Norodom Buppha Devi នរោត្តម បុប្ផាទេវី
Princess Buppha Devi in 1965
Minister of Culture and Fine Arts
In office	30 November 1998 – 15 July 2004
Born	(1943-01-08)8 January 1943 Phnom Penh, Cambodia, French Indochina
Died	18 November 2019(2019-11-18) (aged 76) Bangkok, Thailand
Issue	Sisowath Moni Kossoma Sisowath Kalyan Tevi Norodom Chansita Sisowath Chivannariddh Sisowath Veakchiravuddh
House	Norodom
Father	Norodom Sihanouk
Mother	Phat Kanhol
Religion	Theravada Buddhism

Styles of Norodom Buppha Devi
Reference style	Her Royal Highness
Spoken style	Your Royal Highness

Name

Buppha Devi derives from Pali words puppha (បុប្ផា), meaning flower, and devi (ទេវី), meaning goddess. The name is also romanised as "Bopha Devi" or "Bophadevi".

Life and career

Princess Buppha Devi and her half-brother Norodom Sihamoni receiving a bouquet of flowers from US Senator Mike Mansfield, 1969.

Buppha Devi finished her high school education at Lycée Preah Norodom in Phnom Penh. As a young princess, her grandmother, Queen Sisowath Kossamak, chose her to become a dancer early in her life.^[3] At the age of 15, she became the premier dancer of the Royal Ballet of Cambodia. At the age of 18, she was granted the title of prima ballerina.^[4]

She then toured the world as the principal dancer of the Royal Ballet with Queen Kossamak, performing in public. In the past the ballet had been performed only before royalty to commemorate their dynastic ancestors and to honour the gods. For her dancing ability, her father Norodom Sihanouk cast her in his first feature-length film Apsara in 1966.

Buppha Devi served as Deputy Minister of Culture and Fine Arts from 1991–1993, advisor to the Royal Government in charge of Culture and Fine Arts from 1993–1998, Vice President of the Cambodian Red Cross from 1993–1997, President of the Cambodian-Chinese Association in the year 2000 and the Minister of Culture and Fine Arts from 1998–2004.

Personal life

Buppha Devi married her first husband in 1959 at the age of fifteen. Her four total marriages produced five children:

1) Norodom Norinractevong

2) Sisowath Monichivann

• Princess Sisowath Moni Kossoma (born 1960)
• Princess Sisowath Kalyan Tevi (born 1961)

3) Bruno Jacques Forsinetti

• Keo Chansita Forsinetti (born 1965). She is now known as Norodom Chansita

4) Sisowath Chivanmonirak

• Prince Sisowath Chivannariddh (born 1968)
• Prince Sisowath Veakchiravuddh (born 1973)

See also

• Voan Savay, prima ballerina of the Khmer Royal Ballet

References

1. "Princess Buppha Devi dies at 76". 18 November 2019.
2. "Inside Cambodia's royal ballet". nationmultimedia.com. Retrieved 3 November 2017.
3. "A princess brings Cambodian ballet to the masses, and Hong Kong". South China Morning Post. 3 September 2017.
4. Milton Osborne, Sihanouk, Prince of Light, Prince of Darkness. Silkworm 1994

External links

• Biography of the Princess at Norodom Sihanouk's website
• Video of HRH Norodom Buppa Devi dancing the Robam Tiyae Boung Soung on YouTube This 1962 performance at the Royal Palace was filmed by the United States Information Service (USIS) with the permission of Queen Kossamak.