The Royal Villa was originally built on the theory that the local hill tribes would be honored by the royal presence and thereby cease their opiumcultivation. It was built with Princess Mother's private funds. And she considered it her first real home in Thailand. The Princess Mother also made it known that without the Doi Tung Development Project, she would not have built a house in the area. She only stayed because she could reforest the land and help to improve the lives of the local people.