A Life of Resilience | A Princess of Myanmar's Last Royal Dynasty | June Bellamy Yadana Nat Mai

Yadana Nat Mai, widely known in Myanmar as the ex-wife of former military dictator U Ne Win, passed away on December 1st 2020 due to a heart attack, in Florence, Italy.
Her name itself means Goddess of Nine Jewels, and as the distinctive name implies, Yadana Nat Mai was a princess of the last dynasty in Myanmar – the Kon Baung dynasty which lasted from 1752- 1885.
Her great grandfather was Crown prince Ka Naung Min, a younger brother of King Mindon, and her grandfather was Prince Limbin. The Prince of Limbin was known for leading a widespread movement against British occupation in the country.

I met Yadana Nat Mai (aka June Bellamy) in Italy in 2015, and I can say that she is a woman who had lived life fully. She saw life as an opportunity and took risks. She followed her heart, but that didn’t mean she didn’t have consequences or regrets. She just never took the safe path, and in that way, she made life her own. She made sure she was never defined by her circumstances. She was defined by the choices she made...