Born: 1914 Bangkok, Siam (now Thailand)
Died: 1985 London, England
Year of Migration to the UK: 1927
Other name/s: Prince of Siam , Prince Bira , Prince Birabongse , Birabongse Bhanudej, Prince Birabongse of Siam
Biography
Sculptor Prince Birabongse Bhanudej Bhanubandh, popularly known as Prince Bira, was born on 15 July 1914 in Bangkok, Siam (now Thailand) into the Chakri dynasty. The son of Prince Bhanurangsi Savangwongse and grandson of King Mongkut, Bira was orphaned early and moved to England aged twelve, under the guardianship of his older cousin, Prince Chula Chakrabongse, cousin of King Ananda Mahidol. Prince Chula guided his education at Eton College, initially preparing him for Trinity College, Cambridge University. Although Bira passed the entrance examinations and was accepted to Trinity in 1934, he convinced Chula that he was better suited as an artist rather than a historian.
Prince Bira's artistic passion emerged early, significantly shaped by his mentor, the distinguished British sculptor Charles Wheeler, who later became President of the Royal Academy. Wheeler provided rigorous training in classical sculpting techniques at his London studio in Tregunter Road, Chelsea, and advised Bira to improve his draughtsmanship. Consequently, Bira enrolled briefly at London's Byam Shaw School of Art in 1934 to strengthen his drawing skills. Though his time at the school was brief, it had profound implications: there he met Ceril Heycock and Prince Chula met Elizabeth (Lisboa) Hunter, whom would, respectively, become their wives.
To help fund Bira’s artistic education and nascent motor racing interests, Prince Chula published a biography of Frederick the Great in Thai, dedicated to Bira on his twentieth birthday. The proceeds enabled Chula to purchase an MG K3 Special sports car as a gift for Bira. With characteristic playful charm, Bira named his new car ‘Fidget’, marking the start of an extraordinary dual career as artist and motor racer. Under Wheeler’s tutelage, Bira quickly distinguished himself, debuting at the Royal Academy of Art Summer Exhibition in 1936 with a bronze figure of a seal for a fountain. Regularly exhibiting thereafter—six times between 1936 and 1943—he earned recognition within British art circles through finely executed bronze portraiture, depicting prominent figures such as Field Marshal Smuts and Viscount Trenchard. He also contributed a bronze bust of his wife Ceril in 1937, a self-portrait sketch in 1938, and the bronze heads of The Hon. Steven Runciman and Mrs Anthony Hunter in 1940 and 1941, respectively. The magazine The Bystander (1937) highlighted his emerging reputation, illustrating Bira restoring his sculpture Sea-lion Swallowing Fish and working on Oppression of Fate, a figure inspired by the ballet Les Présages. He is also listed as an exhbitor at the Annual Exhibitions of the Royal Glasgow Institute of the Fine Arts circa 1941.
Parallel to his artistic endeavours, Bira developed an exceptional career as a motor-racing driver. He raced initially with a Riley Imp and MG Magnette, swiftly progressing to driving ERAs managed by Chula’s White Mouse Racing team. He achieved notable success in domestic and international racing events, winning prestigious titles such as the International Trophy Race at Brooklands (1936), the Isle of Man International Car Race, and the Campbell Trophy (1937). Known as a precise, elegant driver, Bira became Britain's road racing champion for three consecutive years. His fame as a racer eclipsed—but never fully overshadowed—his reputation as a sculptor. The two facets of his career merged poignantly in 1938, when Bira designed a memorial for his friend and fellow driver, Pat Fairfield, who tragically died at Le Mans the previous year. The bronze bas-relief memorial, unveiled at Donnington Park by Lord Howe, was widely praised. The Daily Herald (1938) and Nottingham Journal (1938) both celebrated Bira’s skillful integration of artistic sensitivity and technical precision, reinforcing his identity as both sculptor and sportsman. The Second World War interrupted but did not extinguish Bira’s diverse pursuits. He served as a glider instructor for the Air Training Corps, and shortly after civilian flying resumed in 1946, he became one of the first pilots to earn an ‘A’ licence. Postwar, he briefly returned to motor racing, notably winning the Ulster Trophy (1946) and the Zandvoort Grand Prix (1948). However, without Chula’s management, maintaining competitive racing became increasingly challenging. Nevertheless, he still held lap records at Silverstone, competing with determination even as racing became more complex.
His later years saw continued artistic engagement. A notable creation from this period is the monumental bronze Firebird Trophy for Thailand’s Royal Varuna Yacht Club, first awarded in 1970. A dedicated yachtsman, Bira represented Thailand in four Olympic Games between 1956 and 1972, bridging his artistic and athletic identities through this significant sculptural achievement. Prince Bira died in London, England on 23 December 1985 at age 71. In the UK public domain, his sculptures are held in collections including the National Trust and at Donnington Park. In 1992, Ceril Birabongse’s memoir The Prince and I was published, offering a renewed glimpse into the private and artistic life of her late husband.
Related books
- Matt Bishop, ‘The Lonely Death of B Bira, Thai Racing Prince, Adventurer and Olympian’, Motor Sport, 16 July 2024
- Thak Chaloemtiarana, ‘Racing and Nationalism’, in Read Till It Shatters: Nationalism And Identity in Modern Thai Literature (Acton: Australian National University Press, 2018), pp. 96-103
- Princess Ceril Birabongse, The Prince & I (Dorchester: Veloce, 2013)
- ‘Prince Birabongse’, The Times, 3 January 1986, p. 10
- ‘Bira May Get Ban’, Sunday Mirror, 28 December 1941, p. 16
- ‘Fountain Unveiled’, Nottingham Journal, 11 July 1938, p. 2
- T. H. Wisdom, ‘Bira Designs Memorial’, Daily Herald, 1 March 1938, p. 9
- ‘Art and Speed’, The Bystander, 28 July 1937, p. 21
- ‘Sculptor and Racing Motorist’, London Evening News, 14 July 1937, p. 4
- ‘Private View’, The Bystander, 13 May 1936, p. 13
- ‘The Royal Academy’, The Times, 8 May 1936, p. 14
Public collections
Related organisations
- Byam Shaw School of Art (student)
- Eton College (pupil)
Related web links
- ‘Brooklands Stories: Prince Bira’, Brooklands Museum, 23 October 2021
- Mapping the Practice and Profession of Sculpture in Britain and Ireland 1851-1951
- ‘Prince Bira’, Historic Racing
- Royal Academy of Arts Summer Exhibition catalogues
- Stephen Latham, Prince Bira of Siam, The Forgotten Drivers of the F1
- ‘Thailand’s Greatest Sportsman’, Duncasterarn blog, Southeast Asian History, Travel & Australian Racing
Selected exhibitions
- Royal Academy of Arts, London (1943, 1941, 1940, 1938, 1937, 1936)
