Norodom Monineath

Norodom Monineath Sihanouk (, ; born Paule Monique Izzi; 18 June 1936) is the Queen Mother of Cambodia. She was Queen of Cambodia from 1993 to 2004, as the wife of King Norodom Sihanouk. She is the widow of King-Father Norodom Sihanouk, whom she married in 1955 as the "secondary consort" (Sihanouk married his official wife, Norodom Thavet Norleak, as the "first lady" also in 1955, before being married to Monineath). After Sihanouk and Norleak divorced in 1968, Monineath became the official spouse of the King. Monineath and King Sihanouk had two children: Norodom Sihamoni and Norodom Narindrapong; both were born before their parents married. Her official, full title is "Samdech Preah Mahaksatrey Norodom Monineath Sihanouk". The Queen is also called "Preah Voreakreach Meada Cheat Khmer" (, lit. "mother of the Khmer nation"). Her birthday on 18 June is an official public holiday in Cambodia. Biography Early life Norodom Monineath was born on 18 June 1936, in Saigon, French Indochina, in present-day Vietnam. She was born Paule-Monique Izzi, and is sometimes referred to as Queen Monique. Her father, Jean-François Izzi, was a French banker of Corsican, French and Italian descent, who was Director of Crédit Foncier in Saigon, and killed in World War II. Her mother, Pomme Peang, was from Phnom Penh.