Thai Princess Dies, Royal Succession Becomes a Major Question Mark

The passing of Thailand’s Princess Bajrakitiyabha, the eldest child of King Maha Vajiralongkorn, leaves unanswered questions regarding the royal succession. Princess Bajrakitiyabha, affectionately known as Princess Bha, was viewed as the most promising figure to eventually succeed her father. The Royal Household announced Princess Bha died at the age of 47 on Thursday evening while receiving medical treatment at King Chulalongkorn Memorial Hospital. Princess Bha passed away after suffering a coma for the last three and a half years. She fell into a coma after collapsing in December 2022 whilst exercising her pet dogs. Doctors treating her suspected the cause was a highly irregular heartbeat, brought on by a mycoplasma infection in her heart. With Princess Bha’s death, the Kingdom of Thailand has lost its most accomplished member, and someone who might have played a crucial role in the still-unclear succession. Princess Bha was the eldest of King Vajiralongkorn’s seven children. Her abilities and achievements, including having served as a diplomat for the United Nations and in Austria, as well as the trust her father appeared to place in her, made Princess Bha an unavoidable subject of speculation for the royal succession. King Vajiralongkorn, now 73 years old, has not formally designated an heir to the throne. Custom within the Kingdom of Thailand dictates that the heir to the throne must be male. However, a 1974 constitutional amendment permits a woman to ascend the throne if no other successor exists. King Vajiralongkorn has five sons, but four sons from his second marriage were disowned by him in 1996 and live with their mother in the United States. The king’s fifth son, Prince Dipangkorn, now 21 years old, is considered the legitimate heir to the throne. However, questions have arisen about his capability to perform the role of king. For many staunch supporters of the Thai monarchy, Princess Bha was considered the most promising figure to replace her father, either as Queen or as Regent to assist Prince Dipangkorn. Succession in the Kingdom of Thailand is not automatic, and King Vajiralongkorn is permitted to appoint his own heir. Princess Bha’s departure is seen as complicating an already complex succession issue within the Kingdom of Thailand, particularly because King Vajiralongkorn has not publicly designated an heir. Some analysts viewed Princess Bha as a potential candidate to become Thailand’s first Queen due to her family lineage. She was also the only child born to King Vajiralongkorn and his first wife, Princess Soamsawali, who is also the king’s cousin. Among royalist circles, Princess Bha was also widely seen as a figure who could restore respect for the royal family, which has begun to erode among Thailand’s youth. ‘She was the hope that could carry the royal family into the future,’ said Kasidit Ananthanathorn, a lecturer at Thailand’s Ramkhamhaeng University who studies the monarchy.