Sirindhorn was born on 2 April 1955, atAmphorn Sathan Residential Hall,Dusit Palace, the third child ofKing Bhumibol Adulyadej (Rama IX) andQueen Sirikit. As the royal couple has only one son, the Thai constitution was altered in 1974 to allow for female succession. This made Princess Sirindhorn second-in-line to the throne (after Vajiralongkorn) until the birth of PrincessBajrakitiyabha in 1978.
Sirindhorn attended Kindergarten, Primary and Secondary at Thailand's most exclusive school: The Chitralada School which was established for the children of the Royal Family and Palace staff.[2]
She ranked first in the National School Examinations in primary level (grade 7) in 1967, in upper secondary level (grade 12) in 1972, and fourth in theNational University Entrance Examination in 1975.[3]
In 1975 she enrolled in the faculty of arts atChulalongkorn University and graduated with a Bachelor of Arts, first-class honours and a gold medal in history in 1976.[3]
In 1981 she enrolled in a doctoral program atSrinakharinwirot University, and was awarded a PhD in developmental education in 1987.
In 1984 she earned a certificate from the Asian Regional Remote Sensing Training Centre at theAsian Institute of Technology where she studied for two months.[5]
In December 2012, Sirindhorn was briefly hospitalised to remove calcium deposits.[7]
More popular among the Thai public than her brother, then-Crown PrinceVajiralongkorn, Sirindhorn was long rumoured to be a potential successor to the Thai throne.[8] Upon Bhumibol's death in 2016, the crown passed to Vajiralongkorn, now King Rama X. In 2019, she was bestowed the highest of royal ranks by appointment,Krom Somdej Phra, by King Vajiralongkorn. She also received a first-class King Rama X Royal Cypher Medal.[9]
In January 2021, Sirindhorn was hospitalized after breaking both her ankles.[10] Thai media reported that she fell during a walk; however, Western sources alleged that her ankles were broken byVajiralongkorn after an argument.[11]
Aside from her passion for technology, she holds degrees in history and a doctorate in educational development. She teaches at the history department of theChulachomklao Royal Military Academy, where she is the nominal head of the department. In addition toThai, she speaks fluent English, French and Mandarin Chinese, and is currently studying German andLatin. She translates Chinese literature into Thai.[12]
She is also a skilled performer and avid promoter of Thai traditional music.
Like her fatherBhumibol Adulyadej, Princess Sirindhorn holds a certificate as a radio amateur, with hercall sign being HS1D.[13]
TheUniversity of Liverpool introduced a scholarship in honour of Sirindhorn. One full scholarship will be awarded annually to enable a Thai student to study atLiverpool to complete a one-year taught Masters programme. The scholarship is open to all subjects in which a one-year taught Masters programme is offered; however, priority will be given to those students who wish to study in a subject area associated with Princess Sirindhorn such as science, information technology, medicine,the arts,geography, history andlanguages. To be eligible for the scholarship, applicants must be aThai national and already hold an offer to study a one-year taught Masters programme at theUniversity of Liverpool.
UNESCO:UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador for "Empowerment of Minority Children through Education and through the Preservation of Their Intangible Cultural Heritage"[32]
Sirindhorn Chinese Language and Culture Center atMae Fah Luang University, which was a gift from China and named in honor of Sirindhorn's role in Thailand-China cultural exchange.[54]
^Naiyanetr, Phaibul (1995). "Acanthosquilla sirindhorn n. sp., a New Mantis Shrimp From Thailand (Stomatopoda, Nannosquillidae)".Crustaceana.68 (4):409–417.doi:10.1163/156854095X00629.JSTOR20105069.S2CID85213533.
^Weeyawat Jaitrong and Ted Schultz (2016). "Aenictus shilintongae sp. nov. (Hymenoptera: Formicidae: Dorylinae), An Army Ant of the Aenictus laeviceps Species Group from China".The Thailand Natural History Museum Journal.10 (2):67–74.
^Robin W. J. Ngiam and Albert G. Orr (2017). "Oligoaeschna sirindhornae sp. nov., A New Dragonfly Species from Thailand (Odonata: Anisoptera: Aeshnidae)".Zootaxa.4353 (1):195–200.doi:10.11646/zootaxa.4353.1.13.PMID29245533.
^Yukimitsu Imahara, Suchana Chavanich, Voranop Viyakarn, Yuka Kushida, James D. Reimer and Toshihiko Fujita (2020). "Two New Species of the Genus Chironephthya (Octocorallia, Alcyonacea, Nidaliidae, Siphonogorgiinae) from the Gulf of Thailand".Zootaxa.4780 (2):324–340.doi:10.11646/zootaxa.4780.2.6.PMID33055747.S2CID219734609.{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
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Algeria: Achir of theNational Order of Merit
Austria: Grand Cross of theOrder of Honour for Services to the Republic of Austria[20]
China: Recipient of theOrder of Friendship[21]
Croatia:Grand Order of Queen Jelena
Denmark: Grand Cross of theOrder of the Dannebrog[22]
Iceland: Grand Cross of theOrder of the Falcon
India:Padma Bhushan[23]
Laos:National Gold Medal[24]
Lithuania: Grand Cross of the Order ofOrder of Vytautas the Great
South Korea: Grand Cross of theOrder of Diplomatic Service Merit[24]
Malaysia: Honorary Grand Commander of theOrder of Loyalty to the Crown of Malaysia[25]
Mongolia: Grand Cross of theOrder of the Polar Star[26]
Pakistan: Grand Cross of theOrder of the Crescent of Pakistan[27][28]
Peru: Grand Cross of theOrder of the Sun of Peru
Spain: Knight Grand Cross of theOrder of Isabella the Catholic[29]
Sweden: Member Grand Cross of theRoyal Order of the Seraphim[30]
United Kingdom: Honorary Grand Cross of theRoyal Victorian Order
Tonga
Philippines:Ramon Magsaysay Award for Public Service[35]
Chiang Mai University:Geography[36]
Japan –Tokai University: Engineering[42]
United States:
California –Pomona College:Doctor of Humane Letters[44]
Indiana –Indiana University Bloomington: Doctor of Humane Letters[45]
Illinois –Northern Illinois University: Doctor of Humane Letters[46]
Maryland –Johns Hopkins University: Doctor of Humane Letters[47]
Massachusetts –Bay Path University: Doctor of Humane Letters[48]
United Nations:Special Ambassador of theWorld Food Programme for School Feeding[32]
UNESCO:UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador for "Empowerment of Minority Children through Education and through the Preservation of Their Intangible Cultural Heritage"[32].svg)
