Ubol Ratana (born 5 April 1951) is a member of the Thai royal family. She is the eldest child of King Bhumibol Adulyadej (Rama IX) and Queen Sirikit, and the elder sister of King Vajiralongkorn (Rama X).

In 1972, she married American citizen Peter Ladd Jensen and settled in the United States, after giving up her royal title. The couple divorced in 1998, whereupon she resumed her royal duties and position within the Thai court. She is styled in English as Princess Ubol Ratana, without the style Her Royal Highness.

In 2001, she permanently returned to Thailand after a series of visits in the years following her divorce. Almost immediately, she began to fulfill her royal duties by taking part in many ceremonies. She started many charitable foundations that focused on improving the quality of life for the disadvantaged.

In February 2019, in an "unprecedented" move, Ubol Ratana announced her candidacy for Prime Minister of Thailand in the 2019 general election, running as a candidate of the Thai Raksa Chart Party. Later that same day, her younger brother King Vajiralongkorn issued a statement, stating that her candidacy is "inappropriate" and "unconstitutional". Thailand's election commission then disqualified her from running for prime minister, formally putting an end to her candidacy.

Early life

Princess Ubol Ratana Rajakanya is the eldest child of King Bhumibol Adulyadej and Queen Sirikit. She was born on 5 April 1951, at Clinique de Montchoisi in Lausanne, Switzerland. She is the only child born outside of Thailand from the four children of former King Bhumibol and Queen Sirikit.

Ubol Ratana, part of her royal name, means "glass lotus", a reference to her maternal grandmother, Bua ("lotus") Kitiyakara. Her parents nicknamed her "Pay", short for Poupée (French for "doll"). To her family she is known as Phi Ying. In the media and by Thai people in general, she is called Thun Kramom Ying, a title identifying the daughter of a reigning king with the queen.

She returned to Thailand and stayed at Amphorn Sathan Residential Hall, Dusit Palace. She was styled "Her Royal Highness" by her father at the royal celebration of the first month birthday ceremony (Phra Ratchaphithi Somphot Duean Lae Khuen Phra U; ) King Bhumibol Adulyadej gave her full name and title "Her Royal Highness Princess Ubol Ratana Rajakanya Sirivadhana Barnavadi".

Ubol Ratana was Bhumibol's favorite child, because she was attractive and excelled at academics and sports, whereas her brother, Vajiralongkorn, did not. The King greatly enjoyed playing tennis and badminton with her. This was partly due to his suspicion that others were not trying their hardest when playing sports with him, and he admired Ubol Ratana for always trying her best.

In the 1967 Southeast Asian Peninsular Games (today called the "Southeast Asian Games") held in Bangkok, the Ling and the princess competed in the OK Dinghy sailing class and won gold medals for Thailand. Princess Ubol Ratana established the Khun Poom Foundation in his memory, to aid children with autism and other learning disabilities.

  • Than Phu Ying Sirikitiya Mai Jensen (born 18 March 1985) holds a degree in history. in 2002 to combat drug use by young people. the foundation has more than 31 million members throughout Thailand. She hosts the television show, "Talk to the Princess" on TVT11 NBT where she promotes the aims of her anti-drug work.

LGBTQ support

In 2021, Ubol Ratana revealed that she is a fujoshi through her Princess Vlog on the YouTube channel of "To Be Number One" Foundation. She said she had grown up around gays and she supported LGBTQ. She is a big fan of many BL couples and series such as Bright-Win from 2gether, Kao-Up from Lovely Writer, Pond-Phuwin from Fish upon the Sky, etc.

In 2024, one of the judges in the qualifying round for the representative of Phitsanulok Province in "To be Number One Idol" contest criticized the LGBTQ youth contestant with inappropriate words, causing widespread criticism. Later, Ubol Ratana commented on Instagram that she never discriminated against LGBTQ and she supported them.

Film career

In 2003, Ubol Ratana starred in a Thai soap opera, Kasattiya. In 2006 she had a role in Anantalai, a drama series she wrote under the pen name "Ploykampetch". In 2011, the princess and her daughter Ploypailin Jensen starred in '.

In 2010, she appeared in the action film My Best Bodyguard (มายเบสท์บอดี้การ์ด), released on 21 October 2010. In 2012, she appeared in the romantic film Together (Wan Tee Rak) (ร่วมกัน), released on 20 December 2012.

Attempted candidacy for Prime Minister

In 2019, it was announced Ubol Ratana would run as the prime ministerial candidate for the Thaksin-affiliated Thai Raksa Chart Party in the 2019 general election, called an "astonishing" move without precedent, as the royal family has never been directly involved in electoral politics. Her candidacy was quickly denounced by her brother, King Rama X, on the grounds that members of the royal family may not overtly participate in politics. After his statement, the Thai Raksa Chart Party withdrew their support for her run. The Election Commission, citing the king's statement, disqualified her, while the Thai Raksa Chart Party was dissolved by the Constitutional Court on the request of the Electoral Commission for attempting to bring a member of the royal family into politics; its leaders were banned from active politics for a decade.

Ancestry

Notes

References

  • Movie: หนึ่งใจ..เดียวกัน (Where The Miracle Happens)
  • Movie review (en)