In October 2004, after the abdication of his father, the legendary King Norodom Sihanouk, the Cambodian Throne Council elected the 51-year-old former classical-ballet dancer Norodom Sihamoni as the new King of Cambodia. Sihamoni has led Cambodia through two decades of constitutional rule under the Royal Family while real political authority has remained with the Hun family.

The Family's Roots: The Norodom Dynasty

Cambodia's Norodom dynasty is one of two branches of the House of Varman, which has ruled Cambodia (with some interruptions) since the 9th century. Sihamoni was born in Phnom Penh on 14 May 1953.

His Father: King Norodom Sihanouk

King Norodom Sihanouk (31 October 1922 – 15 October 2012) was one of the most consequential Cambodian figures of the 20th century — he reigned as King 1941–1955 (abdicated), was Prime Minister and head of state 1955–1970, was deposed by Lon Nol, allied with the Khmer Rouge in exile, returned as head of state 1975–1976, was placed under house arrest by the Khmer Rouge, returned as King in 1993, and abdicated in 2004. He died in 2012.

His Mother: Queen Monique (Norodom Monineath)

Queen Mother Monineath, born Paul-Monique Izzi on 18 June 1936 in Saigon, is of French and Italian-Cambodian descent. She married Sihanouk in 1952 and remains the matriarch of the Cambodian royal family.

His Siblings and Half-Siblings

Sihanouk had at least 14 children with multiple wives. Sihamoni's full brother is Prince Norodom Narindrapong (1954 – 2003). His many half-siblings include Prince Norodom Ranariddh (1944 – 2021, former Cambodian PM) and Princess Norodom Buppha Devi (1943 – 2019).

His Personal Life

Sihamoni has never married and has no children. He spent decades in Paris and Prague as a classical ballet dancer, choreographer, and director of a Khmer ballet company, and served as Cambodia's UNESCO ambassador before his accession.

The Norodom Family Tree at a Glance

Dynasty

  • House of Varman / Norodom branch
  • Royal lineage in Cambodia traceable to the 9th century

Parents

  • Father: King Norodom Sihanouk (1922 – 2012)
  • Mother: Queen Mother Norodom Monineath née Paul-Monique Izzi (b. 1936)

Notable Half-Siblings

  • Prince Norodom Ranariddh (1944 – 2021) — former PM of Cambodia
  • Princess Norodom Buppha Devi (1943 – 2019)
  • 14+ siblings and half-siblings total

King Norodom Sihamoni

  • Born 14 May 1953, Phnom Penh
  • Lyceum Descartes, Phnom Penh
  • Studied in Czechoslovakia from age 9: classical dance, music, theatre
  • Conservatory of Music in Prague (1971); ballet at Conservatory of Pyongyang, North Korea
  • Director of the Khmer Royal Ballet for years in Paris
  • UNESCO Ambassador for Cambodia (1993 – 2004)
  • King of Cambodia from 29 October 2004

Personal

  • Unmarried; no children

What the Norodom Family Story Teaches Us

A father who reigned multiple times across seventy years through some of the most traumatic events of the 20th century. A mother of French and Italian-Cambodian background. A large family of half-siblings. A son who spent decades as a classical-ballet dancer in Paris and Prague before becoming King at 51. A king who is unmarried.

For every family — large or small, famous or otherwise — the Norodom story carries the same lesson. Family trees include the lives that family members chose before they were called to formal roles. Sihamoni's twenty years in Paris and Prague as a ballet master are part of who he is as King. The pre-history matters. Write down what each family member did before they became known.

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