Ubol Ratana
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Princess Ubol Ratana (Thai: ทูลกระหม่อมหญิง อุบลรัตน์ฯ,; Full name: ทูลกระหม่อมหญิง อุบลรัตนราชกัญญา สิริวัฒนาพรรณวดี, "Tunkramhom Ying Ubolratana Rajakanya Sirivadhana Phannavadi"), born April 5, 1951 in Lausanne, Switzerland, is the eldest child of King Bhumibol Adulyadej and Queen Sirikit of Thailand.
[edit] Education
After finishing her secondary school education, the Princess left for the United States for her tertiary education. She studied at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (M.I.T.) majoring in Mathematics, and later at the University of California at Los Angeles. It was while at M.I.T. that she first met the man she would marry, Peter Ladd Jensen. She graduated with a Masters degree in public health from the University of California at Los Angeles.
[edit] Marriage and family
Princess Ubol Ratana married Peter Ladd Jensen in 1972. She relinquished her royal title and settled in the United States with her husband. Their first child, a daughter, Ploypailin was born in 1981; followed by a son, Poom Jensen (affectionately known as Khun Bhumi) in 1983 and another daughter, Sirikitiya in 1985. After years of rumored marital problems, their divorce was officially announced in 1998. Princess Ubol Ratana and her children lived in San Diego, California until 2001, when they relocated back to Thailand. Princess Ubol Ratana acts in a semi-official capacity as "public relations princess".
Her son, Bhumi, was born with autism. Bhumi's autism improved as he grew. He attended school and later university, where he majored in physical education. Bhumi Jensen drowned on December 26, 2004 in the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake disaster, while on holiday with his mother. King Bhumibol Adulyadej granted Bhumi a royal funeral, which was attended by the royal family.
[edit] Royal title
Princess Ubol Ratana was born with the titles of Her Royal Highness and Princess Chao Fa, but gave these up on her marriage to a American citizen, Peter Ladd Jensen. Her title, Chao Fa was lost because she married a commoner. She had previously held the royal title Chao Fa Ubolratana Rajakunya. She still retains the style of Tunkramom Ying, which alludes to the status of Chao Fa, but she does not officially hold the Chao Fa title at present.
Since her return to Thailand, she has increasingly taken part in royal ceremonies, though not to the extent of her royal siblings.
