Princess Bajrakitiyabha of Thailand, the eldest daughter of King Vajiralongkorn (73), has passed away. She died on Thursday evening at 7:48 PM local time at Chulalongkorn Hospital in Bangkok. She was 47 years old. The royal household confirmed her death on Friday morning in an official statement, according to BBC.
The starting point of her long suffering was a moment in December 2022 that initially seemed like an everyday misfortune: The princess collapsed while training with her dogs. Doctors subsequently diagnosed a severe cardiac arrhythmia triggered by a mycoplasma infection of the heart. She had been in a coma ever since. According to the palace, the medical staff had done everything medically possible - but her condition had deteriorated inexorably.
Lawyer, Ambassador, Reformer
Bajrakitiyabha, born on December 7, 1978, as the daughter from King Rama X's first marriage to Princess Soamsawali, was anything but a princess in the ceremonial sense. She studied law and earned two degrees from Cornell University in the USA. Before returning to Thailand to work in the offices of the Attorney General in Bangkok, she briefly served at the Thai UN mission in New York.
From 2012 to 2014, she represented Thailand as ambassador in Austria. There, according to BBC, she established close contacts with the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) - contacts she used to dedicate herself to an issue that was clearly close to her heart: the situation of women in prisons. Bajrakitiyabha also advocated for criminal justice reforms.
Her commitment did not go unrecognized. As UNODC Ambassador for the Rule of Law in Southeast Asia, her work gained international visibility. Her father, King Vajiralongkorn, promoted her in 2021 to chief of staff of his personal bodyguard with the rank of general. The princess, who was also known as an avid long-distance runner, was thus regarded as probably the most prominent member of the royal family.
That is precisely what made her a key figure in speculation about the succession to the throne. King Vajiralongkorn is 73 years old and has not yet named a successor. Thai tradition actually provides for a male heir, but a constitutional amendment from 1974 fundamentally opens the path to the throne for women as well. Of his five sons, four from his second marriage were disinherited in 1996; they have since lived with their mother in the USA. His fifth son, Prince Dipangkorn (21), is considered the presumptive heir to the throne. However, for many royalists, Bajrakitiyabha was, according to BBC, the most promising candidate - whether as queen or as regent alongside Prince Dipangkorn. With her death, the question of succession remains open.
