Sirivannavari (; ; ; born 8 January 1987) is a Thai princess and the only daughter of King Vajiralongkorn by his former consort Sujarinee Vivacharawongse (commonly known as Yuvadhida Polpraserth). She is also the only one of their children in the line of succession and to bear

royal titles Traditional rank amongst European imperiality, royalty, peers, and nobility is rooted in Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages. Although they vary over time and among geographic regions (for example, one region's prince might be equal to anothe ...

. She has produced works as a fashion designer, and competed in sports as an equestrian and badminton player.

Early life and education

Sirivannavari was born ''Mom Chao'' Busyanambejra Mahidol (; ; ), but later changed to ''Mom Chao'' Chakkrityapha Mahidol (), and once again to ''Mom Chao'' Sirivanvari Mahidol () upon order of Queen Sirikit. She has four full siblings. Following her parents' divorce in 1996, her mother moved with her siblings to the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

; her father then ordered Sirivannavari's abduction and return to Thailand. Sirivannavari graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree from

Chulalongkorn University Chulalongkorn University (CU; ; , ) is a public university, public Autonomous university, autonomous research university in Bangkok, Thailand. The university was originally founded during King Chulalongkorn's reign as a school for training ro ...

and a master's in design from Ecole de la Chambre Syndicale de la Couture Parisienne. She was elevated to Princess status by royal command of her grandfather, 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 ...

, on 15 June 2005.

Personal life

Sirivannavari represented Thailand in badminton at the 2005 Southeast Asian Games in the Philippines, winning a team gold. In this, she follows in the footsteps of her grandfather, King

, who represented his country in international sailing events. A badminton tournament that made its debut in 2016, the

Thailand Masters The Thailand Masters was a professional snooker tournament. Previously known as Asian Open and Thailand Open, it was a Snooker world rankings, ranking tournament from 1989/90 to 2001/02. An event called the ''Thailand Masters'' also formed part o ...

, bears her name. In 2007, Sirivannavari was invited by

Pierre Balmain Pierre Alexandre Claudius Balmain (; 18 May 1914 – 29 June 1982) was a French fashion designer and founder of leading post-war fashion house Balmain (fashion house), Balmain. Known for sophistication and elegance, he described the art of dre ...

, the French couturier, to present her fashion show in Paris. Her debut Paris collection was titled Presence of the Past, which drew on memories of her royal grandmother as well as giving a modern interpretation to traditional Thai costume. The following year, she presented her own fashion show in Paris. She designed a dress worn by Sophida Kanchanarin, Thailand's representative in the Miss Universe 2018 pageant. YouTube personality Wanchaleom Jamneanphol, known online as Mixy Bigmouth, was subsequently threatened with prosecution under Thailand's

lèse-majesté ''Lèse-majesté'' or ''lese-majesty'' ( , ) is an offence or defamation against the dignity of a ruling head of state (traditionally a monarch but now more often a president) or of the state itself. The English name for this crime is a mod ...

laws after describing the dress as ugly. Sirivannavari began riding horses at age nine. She trained in France at the International Moniteur d'Equitation, Le Cadre Noir de Saumur. She competed as a member of the Thai

equestrian sports Equestrian sports are sports that use horses as a main part of the sport. This usually takes the form of the rider being on the horse's back, or the horses pulling some sort of horse-drawn vehicle. General * * * * * * * * * * * * * ...

team in the

2013 2013 was the first year since 1987 to contain four unique digits (a span of 26 years). 2013 was designated as: *International Year of Water Cooperation *International Year of Quinoa Events January * January 5 – 2013 Craig, Alask ...

and

2017 2017 was designated as the International Year of Sustainable Tourism for Development by the United Nations General Assembly. Events January * January 1 – Istanbul nightclub shooting: A gunman dressed as Santa Claus opens fire at the ...

SEA Games. In 2008, Sirivannavari was included as 16th on the list of the "20 Hottest Young Royals", compiled by ''

Forbes ''Forbes'' () is an American business magazine founded by B. C. Forbes in 1917. It has been owned by the Hong Kong–based investment group Integrated Whale Media Investments since 2014. Its chairman and editor-in-chief is Steve Forbes. The co ...

''. Sirivannavari has been appointed as a specialist in the

Royal Thai Army The Royal Thai Army or RTA (; ) is the army of Thailand and the oldest and largest branch of the Royal Thai Armed Forces. History Origin The Royal Thai Army is responsible for protecting the kingdom's sovereignty. The army was formed in 187 ...

with the rank of major general, according to the royal gazette. King Maha Vajiralongkorn announced the appointment of his daughter in the latest round of military promotions that will be effective from 1 April 2023. Sirivannavari was the patron of the Royal Stable Unit of the 2nd Cavalry Division, King's Guard,

Styles, Honours and symbols

National honours

* Knight of the Most Illustrious Order of the Royal House of Chakri (2019) * Dame Grand Cross of the Most Illustrious Order of Chula Chom Klao (2000) * Knight Grand Cordon of the Most Exalted

Order of the White Elephant __NOTOC__ The Most Exalted Order of the White Elephant (; ) is an order (decoration), order of Thailand. It was established in 1861 by King Mongkut, Rama IV of the Thailand, Kingdom of Siam. Along with the Order of the Crown of Thailand, it is r ...

(2008) * Knight Grand Cordon of the Most Noble Order of the Crown of Thailand (2005) * Knight Grand Cross of the Most Admirable Order of the Direkgunabhorn (2006) * King Rama IX Royal Cypher Medal, First Class (1999) * King Rama X Royal Cypher Medal, First Class (2019)

Foreign honours

* : ** Commander's Cross with Star of the

Hungarian Order of Merit The Hungarian Order of Merit () is the fourth highest State Order of Hungary. Founded in 1991, the order is a revival of an original order founded in 1946 and abolished in 1949. Its origins, however, can be traced to the Order of Merit of the K ...

(Civil Division) (19 March 2024)

Honorary degrees

– honorary Doctorate in Fine and Applied Arts, in recognition of her design skill, advocacy of Thai craftsmanship, and her high-end fashion brand, Sirivannavari.