Thai Princess Bajrakitiyabha dies after more than three years in a Coma

Princess Bajrakitiyabha, the eldest child of Thai King Maha Vajiralongkorn, has passed away at 47, the royal household confirmed. The royal palace announced the death on June 12, more than three years after she was hospitalised following a sudden illness.

Known as Princess Bha, she had been in a coma since collapsing in Dec 2022 during a walk with her dogs. She was King Vajiralongkorn's first daughter and the only child of his first marriage to Princess Soamsawali.

Thai Princess Bajrakitiyabha dies after more than three years in a Coma

Three years ago, Thai Princess was hospitalised, after which doctors said that she suffered a serious irregular heartbeat brought on by a mycoplasma infection affecting her heart. This happened when she was on her visit to the north-eastern province of Nakhon Ratchasima.

On Friday, the royal palace announced her death, saying that she was suffering from an abdominal infection and "her condition continued to worsen", the Bureau of the Royal Household said in a statement, until she "passed away peacefully" on Thursday evening at Chulalongkorn Hospital.

"T he medical team provided the closest and most intensive care possible, but her condition continued to decline progressively," the palace said. They also revealed that the princess had an intra-abdominal infection, colitis, and low blood pressure.

Her remains will be placed at Piman Rattaya Throne Hall in the Grand Palace, in Bangkok, and her funeral will be held "with the highest honours according to royal tradition", it added.

In May, the Bureau of the Royal Household, shared that her health condition had deteriorated and she

was relying on medical devices to support her lung and kidney functions, as well as medication.

Thai Princess Bajrakitiyabha: A voice for women

Born on December 7, ‌1978, Princess Bha was known for her significant contributions to justice reform efforts and for her project to help rehabilitate incarcerated Thai women before their release. A prominent lawyer and diplomat, she was educated in Britain, Thailand and the United States, earning a law degree from Cornell University, and serving for a time as Thailand's ambassador to Austria.

"Society cannot grow if there is instability and injustice," she told the AP in 2013. “Without the rule of law, without a good justice system, it's always chaos. I think the rule of law is a very important pillar to development, to economic growth, and of course to human rights.” She also held several positions with the United Nations and became a voice for women's empowerment.

The late princess was close to her father, and was appointed to a senior role in his bodyguard command a year before her hospitalisation. However, the king has not announced his heir. He has seven children from four marriages.