from Colorado Homes & Lifestyles

A Caring Princess

By Janna Graber

Boulder resident Inge Sargent spends her days caring for hospice patients. Yet few of Sargent’s patients know the truth about this tall, regal-looking volunteer.  Inge Sargent is a former Burmese princess. 

Growing up in her native Austria, Sargent never dreamed that she would someday rule in an Asian country.  She was more concerned with war-torn Austria.  After WWII ended, Sargent opted for a change of pace, and decided to study abroad in Colorado.  It was in Denver that she met the handsome Sao Kya Seng, a student at the Colorado School of Mines. 

Sargent was impressed with this quiet man from Burma, but never dreamed that Sao was really a ruling prince.  Hoping to live a normal student life, Sao told only the university president about his royal standing. 

After a whirlwind romance, and a small wedding in Denver, the couple set off for Burma.  As they sailed into port, Sargent noticed hundreds of people standing on the docks celebrating.  It was then that Sao told her they were celebrating his arrival, and that she was a princess.  Though surprised, Sargent adapted well to her new life, and learned quickly to manage the palace and their 46 servants.  The couple was beloved by their people, and put many reforms into place. 

But Sargent’s fairy tale was not to last.  A military coup occurred in 1962, and Sao was imprisoned and executed.  Sargent was under house arrest for two years before she escaped with the couple’s two young daughters.  She left all money and jewels behind.  Eventually, Sargent settled back in Colorado, where she and Sao had fallen in love. 

Inge Sargent worked her way through school, and began teaching German in a Boulder high school.  Eventually, she remarried.  While her children were growing up, Sargent never spoke about her royal past. She wanted them to have a normal life.  But now that she is retired and her children are grown, Sargent is free to tell her story.  She has written a book, Twilight over Burma, My Life as a Shan Princess. All proceeds go to help Burmese refugees. 

Sargent divides her time between volunteering at hospice, where she specializes in helping grieving parents, and speaking out about Burma and the people she was forced to leave behind.  She feels compelled to tell others about the military dictatorship that killed her husband and that is still in power today.  She speaks to groups all over the country about the slavery that still exists in Burma, and about the drug lords who rule the country. 

Sargent has long since given up the trappings of royalty, and she is devoted to serving others  – from patients in need of gentle care to remembering those who once crowned her princess. 

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