Anna Harriet Edwards, was born on 26th November 1831 in Bombay, India, the daughter of an English soldier Tom Edwards, and his wife Mary Anne. Anna would never know her father, who died weeks before she was born. Anna was seventeen when she married the only love of her life, Thomas Louis Leon Owens. The two were married on Christmas day, 1849.
Anna’s idyllic world crashed when Tom died in 1859, leaving his wife hardly any money and no means of supporting herself and their two children, Avis and Louis. Later that year, Anna arrived in Singapore with a fabricated past, hoping to create a fresh start for her family. In 1862, Anna Leonowens accepted an offer to teach the wives and children of Mongkut~King of Siam. The king wished to give a modern, scientific Western education to his 39 wives and concubines, and his 82 children.
Anna sent her daughter Avis to a boarding school in England, and took her five year old son Louis, with her to Bangkok. Anna would stay at the kings court until 1867, a period of nearly six years ~ first as a teacher and later as language secretary for the king. Although her position carried great respect and even a degree of political influence, she did not always find the terms and conditions of her employment to her satisfaction.
In 1868, Anna was on leave in England, when Mongkut fell ill and died. When Anna left Siam, she had every intention of returning in six months. She had been in the process of negotiating a better deal for her, on her return to court. The king mentioned Anna and her son in his will, though they did not receive his legacy.
The new monarch, fifteen-year-old Chulalongkorn, who succeeded his father, wrote Anna a warm letter of thanks for her services. He did not invite her to resume her post, but they corresponded amicably for many years. Anna never returned to Siam, although she did reconnect King Chulalongkorn, in 1897.
The two met in England, and he expressed his gratitude and affection for his teacher. At the age of twenty-seven, Anna's son Louis, returned to Siam and was granted a commission of Captain in the Royal Cavalry. Anna Leonowens kept the actual facts of her life at court, and relationship with the king, a closely guarded secret throughout her life.
Anna never disclosed them to anybody, including her family. Anna's secrets were uncovered long after her death by researchers. Their scrutiny began with Anna's writings, especially following the popularity of the musical 'The King And I' in 1956. The King And I, was based on Margaret Landon's 'Anna and the King of Siam' book, from 1944.
The musical and film adaptations of Anna’s writings are still banned in Thailand, where the government claims they misrepresent King Mongkut. Anna Leonowens’ epic biography expanded far beyond her five years as a royal tutor in Siam. She went on to establish a prolific career as a journalist, writer, lecturer, teacher, social activist, feminist, and matriarch.
Anna died on 19th January 1915, at eighty-three years of age. She was interred in Mount Royal Cemetery in Montreal.
Deborah Kerr and Yul Brynner as Anna and the King in 'The King and I' 1956
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