Ubolratana Mahidol receives a gift from a student Feb. 12, 2019 while visiting Nakhon Sawan province to promote her anti-drug abuse foundation. Photo: Nakhon Sawan Public Relations Department
Ubolratana Mahidol receives a gift from a student Feb. 12, 2019 while visiting Nakhon Sawan province to promote her anti-drug abuse foundation. Photo: Nakhon Sawan Public Relations Department

BANGKOK — The former princess whose short-lived candidacy set off political convulsions said Tuesday she was disappointed by the backlash to her bid and said she is done with royal life.

Ubolratana Mahidol said her motivations were sincere and reiterated that she is no longer a royal in a message posted to Instagram last night following news the party which had nominated her to be its candidate for prime minister was likely to be dissolved.

“I’m sorry that my honest intentions to work for the country and the Thai people have caused problems that shouldn’t have occurred in this era,” Ubolratana wrote just before midnight after a day spent in the central province of Nakhon Sawan promoting her drug abuse foundation.

She concluded the message with #howcomeitsthewayitis, in English. That hashtag was trending on Thai Twitter Wednesday morning.

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Many commented on the post with messages of support four days after the Thai Raksa Chart Party nominated her to be its candidate, a move later overruled by her brother the king.

“There are many other things that you can work on to help the people as a royal,” one user commented.

Replying, Ubolratana said she was not interested in doing that.

“I don’t want to be in that position, because I quit a long time ago,” she wrote in reply.

She renounced her royal title to marry an American in 1972. Decades later, after divorcing, she returned to Thailand and reentered royal life.

The Election Commission has yet to announce its final decision on disbanding Thai Raksa Chart, although it has disqualified Ubolratana from running as candidate. The party went to the commission Wednesday to file evidence supporting its case.

Friday’s nomination of Ubolratana quaked the political landscape. Later that same day, it was abruptly blocked by King Vajiralongkorn, who said her candidacy was “highly inappropriate” and that a member of royal family “cannot hold any political positions.”

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