Kalyanakit Kitiyakara was born in Bangkok on 20 September 1929, the son of His Serene Highness Prince Nakhatra of Chandaburi who was later to become Thai Ambassador to the Court of St James. His great grandfather was King Rama V, Chulalongkorn, his younger sister is Queen Sirikit and his brother-in-law King Bhumipol Adulyadej of Thailand who is an Honorary Fellow of the Royal College of Surgeons. His early education was in Bangkok and after the war he came to London for secondary education before entering Guy's Hospital Medical School. He qualified in 1956 and two years later became house surgeon to Lord Brock, whose dedication and enthusiasm inspired him to embark on a career in thoracic and cardiovascular surgery. He visited many clinics in the United States to complete his training before returning to Thailand to the post of consultant cardiothoracic surgeon at the Siraraj Hospital Medical School, Mahidol University, Bangkok. In 1981 he was appointed Professor of Cardiothoracic Surgery at Ramathibodi Hospital Medical School and in the same year was elected to the Fellowship of the Royal College of Surgeons. He wrote extensively on thymectomy for myasthenia gravis, the surgery of aortic aneurysms and reconstructive surgery for the regurgitant mitral valve as well as being the author of a textbook of cardiothoracic surgery. He married on 7 January 1957 Miss Arun Snidwongs na Ayudhya and there was one son and one daughter of the marriage. His recreational interests were sailing and farming. The last years of his life were clouded by a long and debilitating illness and he died on 15 May 1987 aged 58.