Ubol Ratana

Ubol Ratana (อุบลรัตน,, ; born 5 April 1951) is a member of the Thai royal family.

She is the eldest child of King Bhumibol Adulyadej and Queen Sirikit and elder sister of King Vajiralongkorn.

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 poupee (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, a title identifying the daughter of a reigning 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; พระราชพิธีสมโภชเดือนและขึ้นพระอู่) 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, where 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 king and the princess competed in the OK Dinghy sailing class and won gold medals for Thailand.

Their participation was conceived by Air Chief Marshal Dawee Chullasapya who wanted Bhumibol to be seen excelling in sports, much like a Norwegian king who won a gold Olympics medal.

During the race, Ubol Ratana was ahead and the king was trailing behind.

Davee feared that this would tarnish the king's prestige, but ultimately the king won the race and the father and daughter shared the medal.

Ubol Ratana attended primary to secondary levels at Chitralada School.

She went to the United States for her tertiary education.

In 1972, she married American citizen Peter Ladd Jensen and settled in the United States, losing her royal title in the process.

The princess refused to conform to their wishes; on 25 July 1972, she married Jensen.

According to Paul M. Handley's biography of Bhumibol, the king became furious at Ubol Ratana and stripped her of her royal title.

Ubol Ratana made many attempts to ask her father to reinstate her royal title before and after her permanent return to Thailand, but the king never relented.

The princess lived in the United States with her husband for over 26 years and took the name "Mrs. Julie Jensen".

She studied at Massachusetts Institute of Technology, graduating with a Bachelor of Science in mathematics in 1973.

She later obtained a master's degree in public health at University of California, Los Angeles.

While studying at university, Ubol Ratana dated an American, Peter Ladd Jensen.

The palace discovered this, and her parents strongly opposed their relationship.

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.

After years of rumoured marital problems, they divorced in 1998.

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.

Ubol Ratana and her children continued to reside in San Diego until 2001, when they returned to Thailand.

The couple had three children, two daughters and a son, all born in the United States:

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.

Princess Ubol Ratana Rajakanya is the eldest child of King Bhumibol Adulyadej and Queen Sirikit.