I will always stay close to all compatriots, and share together the happiness and suffering.

He has spent most of his life outside Cambodia. He is the only ruling monarch who speaks Czech. At the time of his birth and that of his younger brother his mother a Cambodian citizen of French-Corsican and Khmer ancestry had been one of King Norodom Sihanouk's consorts after being a constant companion since the day they met in 1951 when the young Monique Izzi won first prize in a national beauty contest.

He was Cambodia's ambassador to UNESCO and named by a nine-member throne council to become the next king after his father Norodom Sihanouk abdicated in 2004. Before ascending the throne Sihamoni was best known for his work as a cultural ambassador in Europe and as a classical dance instructor.