| 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 |
Norodom Buppha Devi (Khmer:នរោត្តម បុប្ផាទេវី[nɔroːˈɗɑmɓopˈpʰaːteːʋiː]; 8 January 1943 – 18 November 2019)[1] was a Cambodianprincess, dancer, director of theRoyal Ballet of Cambodia,[2] senator, andMinister of Culture and Fine Arts. She was the daughter ofNorodom Sihanouk and the late Neak MoneangPhat Kanhol, the elder sister of PrinceNorodom Ranariddh, and a half-sibling of the current King of Cambodia,Norodom Sihamoni. Her official title wasHer Royal Highness Samdech Reach Botrei Preah Ream Norodom Buppha Devi (Khmer:សម្តេចរាជបុត្រីព្រះរៀមនរោត្តម បុប្ផាទេវី).
Buppha Devi derives fromPali wordspuppha (បុប្ផា), meaning flower, anddevi (ទេវី), meaning goddess. The name is also romanised as "Bopha Devi" or "Bophadevi".
Buppha Devi finished her high school education at Lycée Preah Norodom in Phnom Penh. As a young princess, her grandmother, QueenSisowath Kossamak, chose her to become a dancer early in her life.[3] At the age of 15, she became the premier dancer of theRoyal Ballet of Cambodia. At the age of 18, she was granted the title ofprima 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 filmApsara 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 theCambodian 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.
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
3) Bruno Jacques Forsinetti
4) Sisowath Chivanmonirak
