Chulabhorn (; ; ; born 4 July 1957) is a Thai princess. She is the youngest daughter of King

Bhumibol Adulyadej Bhumibol Adulyadej (5 December 192713 October 2016), titled Rama IX, was King of Thailand from 1946 until Death and funeral of Bhumibol Adulyadej, his death in 2016. His reign of 70 years and 126 days is the longest of any List of Thai mo ...

and Queen

Sirikit Sirikit (born ''Mom Rajawongse'' Sirikit Kitiyakara; 12 August 1932) is a member of the Thai royal family who was List of Thai royal consorts#Rattanakosin Kingdom, Queen of Thailand from 28 April 1950 to 13 October 2016 as the wife of King Bhum ...

, and the younger sister of King

Vajiralongkorn Vajiralongkorn (born 28 July 1952) is King of Thailand. He is the tenth Thai monarch of the Chakri dynasty since ascending the throne in 2016 with the regnal name Rama X. The only son of King Bhumibol Adulyadej (Rama IX) and Queen Sirik ...

. She is officially styled Her Royal Highness Princess Chulabhorn, which corresponds to her full Thai title Somdet Phrachao Nong Nang Thoe Chaofa Chulabhorn Walailak Agrarajakumari (). In 2019, she was bestowed the second-highest of royal ranks by appointment – "Krom Phra" by King Vajiralongkorn. She also received a first-class King Rama X Royal Cypher Medal.

Early life and education

Princess Chulabhorn was born on 4 July 1957 at Amphorn Sathan Residential Hall of the Dusit Palace in Bangkok. She studied

chemistry Chemistry is the scientific study of the properties and behavior of matter. It is a physical science within the natural sciences that studies the chemical elements that make up matter and chemical compound, compounds made of atoms, molecules a ...

and graduated in 1979 from the Faculty of Science at

Kasetsart University Kasetsart University (; ; commonly Kaset or KU) is a public university, public research university in Bangkok, Thailand. It is the largest university in Thailand. It was Thailand's first agriculture, agricultural university and Thailand's third ...

, with a Bachelor of Science,

First Class Honours The British undergraduate degree classification system is a grading structure used for undergraduate degrees or bachelor's degrees and integrated master's degrees in the United Kingdom. The system has been applied, sometimes with significant var ...

. She continued to study Science at

Mahidol University Mahidol University is an autonomous university, autonomous public university, public research university in Thailand. The university was founded as part of Siriraj Hospital in 1888. It was first called the University of Medical Science in 1943, ...

, where she received her Doctorate in 1985. She is heavily involved in the promotion of scientific research, and regularly gives awards and prizes. She held the position of a guest lecturer in chemistry at the

. She also serves as president of the Chulabhorn Research Institute. She was awarded the

UNESCO The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO ) is a List of specialized agencies of the United Nations, specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) with the aim of promoting world peace and International secur ...

Einstein Medal for her efforts in promoting scientific collaboration in 1986 and was the first Asian to be invited to join the

Royal Society of Chemistry The Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC) is a learned society and professional association in the United Kingdom with the goal of "advancing the chemistry, chemical sciences". It was formed in 1980 from the amalgamation of the Chemical Society, the ...

in the United Kingdom as an Honorary Fellow. Later in 2019, she received a Ph.D. in Visual Arts from the Faculty of Painting, Sculpture and Graphic Arts, Silpakorn University.

Personal life

In 1981, Chulabhorn married

Royal Thai Air Force The Royal Thai Air Force (RTAF) (; ) is the air force of the Kingdom of Thailand. Since its establishment in 1913 as one of the earliest air forces of Asia, the Royal Thai Air Force has engaged in numerous major and minor conflicts. During the ...

officer

Group Captain Group captain (Gp Capt or G/C) is a senior officer rank used by some air forces, with origins from the Royal Air Force. The rank is used by air forces of many Commonwealth of Nations, countries that have historical British influence. Group cap ...

Virayudh Tishyasarin (; ), a commoner, an

Air vice-marshal Air vice-marshal (Air Vce Mshl or AVM) is an air officer rank used by some air forces, with origins from the Royal Air Force. The rank is also used by the air forces of many countries which have historical British influence and it is sometime ...

. They have two children: Princess Siribha Chudabhorn and Princess Aditayadorn Kitikhun. According to royal custom, she would have lost her title upon marrying a man of lower rank. However, they divorced in 1996, and she subsequently returned to the royal court.

Official duties

The Princess visited

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...

from 13 to 15 April 2010. During her visit she went to the

German Cancer Research Center The German Cancer Research Center (known as the Deutsches Krebsforschungszentrum or simply DKFZ in German language, German) is a national cancer research center based in Heidelberg, Germany. It is a member of the Helmholtz Association of German ...

Heidelberg Heidelberg (; ; ) is the List of cities in Baden-Württemberg by population, fifth-largest city in the States of Germany, German state of Baden-Württemberg, and with a population of about 163,000, of which roughly a quarter consists of studen ...

to further her

cancer Cancer is a group of diseases involving Cell growth#Disorders, abnormal cell growth with the potential to Invasion (cancer), invade or Metastasis, spread to other parts of the body. These contrast with benign tumors, which do not spread. Po ...

research and to learn more about the developments the center had found. Princess Chulabhorn had visited the center already in 1986, 1995 and 2000. In November 2016, Princess Chulabhorn visited Japan and met with then-

Emperor Akihito Akihito (born 23 December 1933) is a member of the Imperial House of Japan who reigned as the 125th emperor of Japan from 1989 until 2019 Japanese imperial transition, his abdication in 2019. The era of his rule was named the Heisei era, Hei ...

and then-

Empress Michiko is a member of the Imperial House of Japan. She was Empress of Japan as the wife of Akihito, the 125th Emperor of Japan reigning from 7 January 1989 to 30 April 2019. Michiko married Crown Prince Akihito and became Crown Princess of Japan i ...

at the Imperial Palace,

Tokyo Tokyo, officially the Tokyo Metropolis, is the capital of Japan, capital and List of cities in Japan, most populous city in Japan. With a population of over 14 million in the city proper in 2023, it is List of largest cities, one of the most ...

. The Imperial couple hosted a luncheon in her honor. During her visit to the country, The Princess went to

Nagoya University , abbreviated to or NU, is a Japanese national research university located in Chikusa-ku, Nagoya. It was established in 1939 as the last of the nine Imperial Universities in the then Empire of Japan, and is now a Designated National Universit ...

, in

Aichi Prefecture is a Prefectures of Japan, prefecture of Japan located in the Chūbu region of Honshū. Aichi Prefecture has a population of 7,461,111 () and a geographic area of with a population density of . Aichi Prefecture borders Mie Prefecture to the ...

, to take part in a discussion between the "HRH Princess Chulabhorn College of Medical Science" in

Thailand Thailand, officially the Kingdom of Thailand and historically known as Siam (the official name until 1939), is a country in Southeast Asia on the Mainland Southeast Asia, Indochinese Peninsula. With a population of almost 66 million, it spa ...

and the "School of Medicine" in the university. In March 2023, Princess Chulabhorn officially visited

Israel Israel, officially the State of Israel, is a country in West Asia. It Borders of Israel, shares borders with Lebanon to the north, Syria to the north-east, Jordan to the east, Egypt to the south-west, and the Mediterranean Sea to the west. Isr ...

: during the visit she toured the Hadassah Ein Kerem hospital, in

Jerusalem Jerusalem is a city in the Southern Levant, on a plateau in the Judaean Mountains between the Mediterranean Sea, Mediterranean and the Dead Sea. It is one of the List of oldest continuously inhabited cities, oldest cities in the world, and ...

. Additionally, the Princess visited "

Israel Diamond Exchange Israel Diamond Exchange Ltd., located in the Tel Aviv District city of Ramat Gan, Israel, is the world's largest diamond exchange and the centre of Israel diamond industry, Israel's diamond industry. The exchange is a private company that inco ...

" with the Thai ambassador to Israel, Pannabha Chandraramya. At the event, Princess Chulabhorn discussed relations between

and Israel. The president of the association, Boaz Moldawsky participated with the Princess in a ceremony in honor of the association. During her visit to the country, the Princess went to the

Western Wall The Western Wall (; ; Ashkenazi Hebrew pronunciation: ''HaKosel HaMa'arovi'') is an ancient retaining wall of the built-up hill known to Jews and Christians as the Temple Mount of Jerusalem. Its most famous section, known by the same name ...

(also called as the Wailing Wall), in

, to pray. She also learned the importance of that monument to the country.
In April 2023, Princess Chulabhorn visited the

United States of America The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 contiguo ...

to attend the Health Summit for Pharmaceutical and Medical Development at

Tufts University Tufts University is a private research university in Medford and Somerville, Massachusetts, United States, with additional facilities in Boston and Grafton, as well as Talloires, France. Tufts also has several Doctor of Physical Therapy p ...

Massachusetts Massachusetts ( ; ), officially the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders the Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of Maine to its east, Connecticut and Rhode ...

. The Princess also toured the institute and subsequently visited the NCI Frederick Campus in

Maryland Maryland ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It borders the states of Virginia to its south, West Virginia to its west, Pennsylvania to its north, and Delaware to its east ...

.
In June 2023 Princess Chulabhorn also paid an official visit to

Mongolia Mongolia is a landlocked country in East Asia, bordered by Russia to the north and China to the south and southeast. It covers an area of , with a population of 3.5 million, making it the world's List of countries and dependencies by po ...

: during the visit she received an

honorary Doctorate An honorary degree is an academic degree for which a university (or other degree-awarding institution) has waived all of the usual requirements. It is also known by the Latin phrases ''honoris causa'' ("for the sake of the honour") or '' ad hon ...

from the Mongolian University of Life Sciences, during the Princess's visit to the university headquarters in

Ulaanbaatar Ulaanbaatar is the Capital (political), capital and List of cities in Mongolia, most populous city of Mongolia. It has a population of 1.6 million, and it is the coldest capital city in the world by average yearly temperature. The municipa ...

Health

On 6 September 2014, the Princess was admitted to Vichaiyut Hospital due to stomach inflammation: she was later diagnosed with

gastritis Gastritis is the inflammation of the lining of the stomach. It may occur as a short episode or may be of a long duration. There may be no symptoms but, when symptoms are present, the most common is upper abdominal pain (see dyspepsia). Othe ...

and was advised to temporarily suspend royal duties. On 9 October 2014, the Princess was diagnosed with a severe infection of the

pancreas The pancreas (plural pancreases, or pancreata) is an Organ (anatomy), organ of the Digestion, digestive system and endocrine system of vertebrates. In humans, it is located in the abdominal cavity, abdomen behind the stomach and functions as a ...

and swelling of the lymph glands: doctors concluded that she was suffering from an autoimmune disease called

systemic lupus erythematosus Lupus, formally called systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), is an autoimmune disease in which the body's immune system mistakenly attacks healthy tissue in many parts of the body. Symptoms vary among people and may be mild to severe. Common ...

, which she has since begun to treat. Doctors advised her to stop activities for three months. She had been in hospital since the previous September. On 5 November 2015, Princess Chulabhorn underwent surgery at Vichaiyut hospital to remove seven

polyps A polyp in zoology is one of two forms found in the phylum Cnidaria, the other being the medusa. Polyps are roughly cylindrical in shape and elongated at the axis of the vase-shaped body. In solitary polyps, the aboral (opposite to oral) en ...

from her large intestine. A blood test had previously shown that the princess had a higher than normal level of

carcinoembryonic antigen Carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) describes a set of highly-related glycoproteins involved in cell adhesion. CEA is normally produced in gastrointestinal tissue during fetal development, but the production stops before birth. Consequently, CEA is us ...

which indicated that she was likely to develop

. In May 2016, the Princess was found to have a non-malignant

tumor A neoplasm () is a type of abnormal and excessive growth of tissue. The process that occurs to form or produce a neoplasm is called neoplasia. The growth of a neoplasm is uncoordinated with that of the normal surrounding tissue, and persists ...

in her neck, and it was removed at Vichaiyut Hospital. She had to suspend her official duties to recover after the operation and to treat her

pancreatitis Pancreatitis is a condition characterized by inflammation of the pancreas. The pancreas is a large organ behind the stomach that produces digestive enzymes and a number of hormone A hormone (from the Ancient Greek, Greek participle , "se ...

, which she had been suffering from for a while and which was causing some health problems to her. As of July 2016, her pancreatitis was becoming intermittent and acute, a sign that it was worsening over time. To receive treatment, the Princess had to suspend her official commitments until she recovered. In June 2017, the Princess was diagnosed with lung, liver and muscle inflammation and low blood oxygen levels: she went to Vichaiyuth Hospital due to fatigue, shortness of breath and other symptoms and doctors made the diagnosis, and subsequently administered medical treatment to her. In February 2019, Princess Chulabhorn was admitted to Ramathibodi Hospital in

Bangkok Bangkok, officially known in Thai language, Thai as Krung Thep Maha Nakhon and colloquially as Krung Thep, is the capital and most populous city of Thailand. The city occupies in the Chao Phraya River delta in central Thailand and has an estim ...

after developing back pain and blurred vision in both eyes. Doctors concluded that further tests were necessary and the Princess extended her stay in hospital. In April 2019, Chulabhorn underwent surgery to remove

cataracts A cataract is a cloudy area in the lens of the eye that leads to a decrease in vision of the eye. Cataracts often develop slowly and can affect one or both eyes. Symptoms may include faded colours, blurry or double vision, halos around ligh ...

(which had caused blurred vision) and underwent treatment for her newly diagnosed back infection (which caused back pain). Her recovery was confirmed a few days later. On 30 September 2019, Chulabhorn went to Chulabhorn Hospital after experiencing numbness in her left hand. An

MRI Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is a medical imaging technique used in radiology to generate pictures of the anatomy and the physiological processes inside the body. MRI scanners use strong magnetic fields, magnetic field gradients, and rad ...

showed that the nerves under her left elbow had become compressed, and as a result the Princess had to remain in hospital for treatment and suspend royal duties. As a result of numbness in her left hand, Chulabhorn had to undergo

microsurgery Microsurgery is a general term for surgery requiring an operating microscope. The most obvious developments have been procedures developed to allow anastomosis of successively smaller blood vessels and nerves (typically 1 mm in diameter) whi ...

to remove the tissue causing the discomfort and remained in hospital until she fully recovered. On 16 June 2020, Chulabhorn underwent surgery at Chulalongkorn Hospital due to numbness in the fingertips of her right hand, caused by a membrane compressing the nerve below her elbow. She was discharged approximately fifteen days later when she was judged to have recovered.

Honours and awards

Royal Monogram of Princess Chulabhorn Walailak

Military rank

* General, admiral and air chief marshal

Volunteer Defense Corps of Thailand rank

* Volunteer Defense Corps Colonel

Academic rank

* Professor of

Navaminda Kasatriyadhiraj Royal Thai Air Force Academy The Navaminda Kasatriyadhiraj Royal Air Force Academy () (NKRAFA) is a military academy for officer cadets of the Royal Thai Air Force. History In 1950, the Royal Air Force (RTAF) started recruiting officers who completed their training fr ...

(27 June 1986 – 1 October 1986) * Professor Dr. in Organic Chemistry of

Foreign honours

* : Paulownia Dame Grand Cordon of the

Order of the Precious Crown The is a Japanese order, established on January 4, 1888 by Emperor Meiji of Japan. Since the Order of the Rising Sun at that time was an Order for men, it was established as an Order for women. Originally the order had five classes, but on Apr ...

* Nepalese Royal Family: Member Grand Cross of the Most Glorious Order of the Benevolent Ruler * : Knight Grand Cross of the

Order of Orange-Nassau The Order of Orange-Nassau () is a civil and military Dutch order of chivalry founded on 4 April 1892 by the queen regent, Emma of the Netherlands. The order is a chivalric order open to "everyone who has performed acts of special merits for ...

* : Knight Grand Cross of th
Order of Merit for Distinguished Services
* : Knight Grand Cross of the

Order of Isabella the Catholic The Royal Order of Isabella the Catholic (; Abbreviation, Abbr.: OYC) is a knighthood and one of the three preeminent Order of merit, orders of merit bestowed by the Kingdom of Spain, alongside the Order of Charles III (established in 1771) and ...

* : Member Grand Cross of the

Royal Order of the Seraphim The Royal Order of the Seraphim (; '' Seraphim'' being a category of angels) is the highest order of chivalry of the Kingdom of Sweden. It was created by King Frederick I on 23 February 1748, together with the Order of the Sword and the Ord ...

* : Honorary Dame Grand Cross of the

Royal Victorian Order The Royal Victorian Order () is a dynastic order of knighthood established in 1896 by Queen Victoria. It recognises distinguished personal service to the monarch, members of the royal family, or to any viceroy or senior representative of the m ...

Other honours

Princess Chulabhorn received

's Einstein Medal for her years of work promoting scientific cooperation in the Asia - Pacific region. In 2009, she received the Adolf Windaus Medal. Princess Chulabhorn has been an honorary member of the Society for Medicinal Plant and Natural Product Research since 1999.

Taxon named in her honor

* Amblypharyngodon chulabhornae, the Princess Carplet, is a

species A species () is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate sexes or mating types can produce fertile offspring, typically by sexual reproduction. It is the basic unit of Taxonomy (biology), ...

of carplet in the family

Cyprinidae Cyprinidae is a family of freshwater fish commonly called the carp or minnow family, including the carps, the true minnows, and their relatives the barbs and barbels, among others. Cyprinidae is the largest and most diverse fish family, and t ...

from mainland south-east Asia. File:Royal Flag of Princess Chulabhorn Walailak.svg, Royal flag of Princess Chulabhorn

Ancestry

References

External links

The Royal Family , Chulabhorn
{{DEFAULTSORT:Chulabhorn 1957 births Living people Mahidol family Thai princesses Thai female Chao Fa Royal Thai Army generals Royal Thai Air Force air marshals Thai admirals Academic staff of Mahidol University Thai women academics Knights Grand Cordon of the Order of Chula Chom Klao Knights Grand Cross of the Order of the Direkgunabhorn Order of the Precious Crown members Grand Cordons of the Order of the Precious Crown Recipients of the Order of Orange-Nassau Knights Grand Cross of the Order of Orange-Nassau Recipients of the Order of Isabella the Catholic Knights Grand Cross of the Order of Isabella the Catholic Honorary Dames Grand Cross of the Royal Victorian Order Mahidol University alumni Kasetsart University alumni Thai people of Mon descent Children of Bhumibol Adulyadej 21st-century Thai women scientists 21st-century Thai scientists 20th-century Thai women scientists 20th-century Thai scientists 20th-century Chakri dynasty 21st-century Chakri dynasty Daughters of kings