In an unprecedented move, Thailand’s Princess Ubolratana Barnavadi has been nominated to contest as Prime Minister for the country’s long-delayed general election.
She got the nod from a party founded by allies of former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra.
The registration of the 67-year-old princess, elder sister of King Maha Vajiralongkorn, as a candidate means this is the first time in the country’s history that a member of the royal family is to become directly involved in politics and run for office.
The princess was stripped of her royal title when she married a US national in 1972.
She returned to Thailand in the late 1990s after getting a divorce.
Although her formal title was not restored, she is regarded and treated as royalty by Thais.
