Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn (b. April 2, 1955) is the second daughter of King
Bhumibol Adulyadej. She is a member of the
Thai Royal Family. She is
styled "Her Royal Highness" (Thai: สมเด็จพระเจ้าลูกเธอ เจ้าฟ้าสิรินธรเทพรัตนสุดา กิติวัฒนาดุลโสภาคย์). Thais commonly refer to her as
Phra Thep (Thai: พระเทพ), meaning "princess angel."
She was invested with the title “Somdet Phra Theprat Ratsuda Chao Fa Maha Chakri Sirindhorn Ratthasima Khunakon Piyachat Sayam Borommaratchakumari” (Thai: สมเด็จพระเทพรัตนราชสุดา เจ้าฟ้ามหาจักรีสิรินธร รัฐสีมาคุณากรปิยชาติ สยามบรมราชกุมารี; is equivalent to the British title of The
Princess Royal) on December 5, 1977. Her title in Thai, according to the royal decree proclaimed in 1977, is not the female equivalent of the title held by her brother, Crown Prince Maha
Vajiralongkorn. As the eldest female child of the royal family (excluding
Ubol Ratana, who married a foreign commoner), her position is equivalent to a
princess royal.
Biography
Sirindhorn, born
April 2,
1955, is the third child of King Bhumibol and Queen
Sirikit.
Sirindhorn enjoys the widespread admiration of the Thai people and is considered her father's intellectual successor. She spends much of her time helping her father with his various projects and has never married. "Knowledgeable Thais and diplomats say the princess prefers female companionship," according to royal biographer Paul Handley.
Education
Sirindhorn attended kindergarten to upper secondary levels at Chitralada School. She ranked first in the National School Examinations in the primary level (grade 7) in 1967, first in upper secondary level (grade 12) in 1972 and fourth in the National University Entrance Examination.
She obtained a Bachelor of Arts in History (First Class Honor, Gold Medal) from
Chulalongkorn University in 1976, and a Master of Arts in Oriental Epigraphy (
Sanskrit and
Cambodian) from
Silpakorn University in 1978 with the thesis entitled 'The Inscriptions Found at Prasad Bnam Run (Prasat Phnom Rung)'. She also obtained a Master of Arts in
Pali and Sanskrit from
Chulalongkorn University in 1980 with the thesis entitled 'Dasaparami in Theravada Buddhism'.
HRH Princess Sirindhorn also obtained doctor of philosophy in educational development from
Srinakharinwirot University in 1986 with the thesis entitled 'Development of an Innovative Design for the Instruction of Thai Language at the Upper Secondary School Level'.
Works
In Thailand, she is often referred to as the "Princess of Technology" or the "Princess of Information Technology", due to her interest and expertise in applying science for the country's development.
Besides her passion for technology, she holds degrees in
History and a doctorate in
Educational Development. She speaks fluent
English,
French, and
Chinese,in addition to
Thai, and is currently studying
German and
Latin. Princess Sirindhorn has a very good background in
Chinese culture, as well as other oriental cultures. In recent years, she has paid many visits to
China, both officially and privately, for her studies of the Chinese language and culture.
An accomplished musician, she plays the trumpet and several Thai traditional instruments, including the
ranat (xylophone) and
saw duang. She also teaches at the History Department of the
Chulachomklao Royal Military Academy, where she is the nominal head of the department.
Awards
She received many awards and recognition. Some of them are:
Honorary Degrees
HRH Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn has accepted the
UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador title for the "Empowerment of Minority Children through Education and through the Preservation of Their Intangible Cultural Heritage."
UNESCO Director-General
Koïchiro Matsuura conferred this title on
24 March 2005.
Honors
Because of her interest in foreign cultures, technology, conservation and education, there are a number of academic and research institutions in Thailand which have been granted permission to use her name, such as
Scholarships:
The
University of Liverpool,
England introduced a prestigious new scholarship in honour of HRH Princess Sirindhorn.
One full scholarship will be awarded annually to enable a Thai student to study at
Liverpool to complete a one-year taught Masters programme.
Eligibility
The scholarship is open to all subjects offered a one-year taught Masters programme, however priority will be given to those students who wish to study in a subject area associated with HRH Princess Sirindhorn such as science,
IT,
medicine,
the arts,
geography,
history and
languages.
To be eligible for the scholarship, applicants must
Be a
Thai national
Already hold an offer to study a one-year taught Masters programme at the
University of LiverpoolAlso places:
Several
fauna species are named after her, including
Numerous plant species also have been named after her, including the
Sirindhornia spp. (
Orchids):
Other
plant species includes
http://www.swu.ac.th/en/content/history.asp
