Profile of Thai Princess Bajrakitiyabha, Dies After 3 Years in Coma
Princess Bajrakitiyabha Mahidol, the eldest daughter of King Maha Vajiralongkorn, has died at the age of 47. The official announcement was made by the royal palace on Friday, more than three years after she was hospitalised due to a sudden illness.
“She suffered from an abdominal infection and her condition continued to deteriorate,” the Royal Household Bureau said in a statement.
“She passed away peacefully” on Thursday evening, it added.
“Her remains will lie in state at the Grand Palace in Bangkok and her funeral will be held with the highest honours according to royal tradition.”
Known in Thailand as “Princess Bha”, she was the only child from King Maha Vajiralongkorn’s first marriage to Princess Soamsawali. She had been hospitalised since suddenly falling ill in December 2022 and was reported to be in a coma.
The Royal Household Bureau said in May that her health condition had worsened. The princess was dependent on medical devices to support her lung and kidney functions, as well as medication.
During her lifetime, Bajrakitiyabha was known as a trained prosecutor and diplomat. She studied in England, Thailand, and the United States, earning a law degree from Cornell University, and once served as Thailand’s ambassador to Austria.
During a visit to a US law school in 2012, the princess commented on her professional background to a campus audience.
“I ask myself now, what exactly am I? A prosecutor? A criminal lawyer? A diplomat? The answer is all of them at once. I say I am a hybrid,” according to the Cornell Chronicle.
She also held several positions at the United Nations and was an advocate for women’s rights, including improving conditions for women in prison.
As a princess, Bajrakitiyabha held important ceremonial roles in Thai society, where the royal family sits at the apex of power. She was considered close to her father and was appointed to a senior position in the command of his personal guard a year before her hospitalisation.
The 73-year-old king, who has seven children from four marriages, has not yet announced his chosen heir, although succession rules favour males.
Strict rules govern what can and cannot be said about Thailand’s royal family, which is protected from criticism by lèse-majesté laws carrying prison sentences of up to 15 years per charge.