Ubol Ratana

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. Their participation was conceived by Air Chief Marshal Dawee Chullasapya, who wanted King Bhumibol to be seen excelling in sports, much like King Olav V of Norway, who won an Olympic gold medal. During the race, Ubol Ratana was ahead and the King was trailing behind. Dawee feared that this would tarnish the King's prestige, but the King ultimately won the race, and the father and daughter shared the medal. ==Education==

Ubol Ratana attended primary to secondary levels at Chitralada School. She went to the United States for her tertiary education. 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. ==Marriage and family==

While studying at university, Ubol Ratana dated an American, Peter Ladd Jensen. The palace discovered this, and her parents strongly opposed their relationship. 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. While Ubol Ratana remained in the US, her mother (Queen Sirikit) and other members of the royal family often flew there for visits. Ubol Ratana likewise flew to Thailand along with her husband to visit her parents and the other members of the royal family, while joining them in royal ceremonies when she visited Thailand. She visited in 1980, 1982, 1987, 1992 and 1996, taking part in several family events, before her permanent return in 2001. ==Charitable work==

Ubol Ratana launched the "To Be Number One" Foundation 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==