The leaders of three major religions in Thailand — Buddhism, Islam and Christianity — have organised prayers at their respective places of worship for Princess Bajrakitiyabha Narendira Debyavati to recover soon from her illness.

I was ordained as a novice twice as a young child. It certainly wasn’t fun, but then if being a Buddhist novice was supposed to be entertaining, what would be the point? My parents might as well have sent me to an amusement park instead and saved me all the trouble of going without three meals a day and munching sweets whenever I felt like it.