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The Three Princes was a name given to Princes Boun Oum, Souvanna Phouma and Souphanouvong who represented respectively the royalist, neutralist and leftist factions in the Kingdom of Laos in the post-WWII period. The trio were named by King Savang Vatthana to form a coalition government following the independence of Laos.
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Background and Representatives
The Three Princes represented three different political views held during the Laotian Civil War.
Prince Boun Oum Na Champasak
Right-wing Prince Boun Oum, cousin to the other two princes, overthrew the Phouma Government in 1960. Supported by Phoui Sananikone, General Phoumi Nosavan and the Hmong Leader, General Vang Pao.
Prince Souvanna Phouma
Pro-western Prince Souvanna Phouma was supported by Kong Le and the Royal Lao Government.
Prince Souphanouvong
Half brother of Souvanna Phouma, Prince Souphanouvong, a staunch communist and the leader of the Pathet Lao, was supported by Kaysone Phomvihane (later Prime Minister and President of the LPDR) and the North Vietnamese. By 1972, the Pathet Lao found it unacceptable to form a coalition with rightist members, mostly military generals and the rich and powerful Na Champassak and Sananikone families.