Thai Princess Chulabhorn is expected to arrive in Israel laterthis week for a weeklong visit, along with a royal entourage of 25 people.
Chulabhorn's trip is part of an initiative of cooperation between Thai and Israeli scientific research centers. She is set to visit the Rambam Medical Center, with which Thai institutes are collaborating on cancer research, as well as the Weizmann Institute of Science and other universities.
The 53-year-old princess is also expected to meet with President Shimon Peres .This will be her second visit to the Holy Land.
Chulabhorn, the youngest daughter of Thai King Bhumibol Adulyadej, is a doctor of chemistry, and heads her namesake Chulabhorn Research Institute in Bangkok.
In 1986, UNESCO awarded her with the Einstein Medal for her promotion of international scientific cooperation. She is also a fellow in the UK's Royal Society of Chemistry, the first Asian to be invited.
In 1982 Chulabhorn married Virayudh Tishyasarin, a Thai Air Force pilot that is considered a "commoner." The marriage should have legally nullified her royal standing, had she not received a special permission from her father to keep her princess title. She had two children with Tishyasarin, but divorced him in 1984.