Kenneth Glad
She had remained in hospital since a sudden collapse in 2022. Her death leaves Thailand’s royal succession unresolved.
The eldest daughter of Thailand’s King Maha Vajiralongkorn, Princess Bajrakitiyabha, has died at 47 after more than three years in a coma, the royal household announced, writes the BBC.
She died Thursday evening at King Chulalongkorn Memorial Hospital in Bangkok, where she had been treated since December 2022.
Health complications worsened
She had collapsed in Nakhon Ratchasima province while training dogs for a working-dog event.
Citing the royal household, TV 2 listed later complications including an abdominal infection, colon inflammation, low blood pressure, heart rhythm problems and blood-clotting difficulties.
The palace said: “The medical team provided the closest and most intensive care possible, but her condition continued to decline progressively.”
Educated in law and diplomacy
Born in Bangkok in 1978, Princess Bajrakitiyabha was the only child of Vajiralongkorn and his first wife, Princess Soamsawali.
She was also the first grandchild of the late King Bhumibol Adulyadej and Queen Sirikit.
She spent part of her schooling in Britain, studied law and international relations in Thailand, and later earned advanced law degrees in the United States, including a doctorate from Cornell University.
Her career included work at Thailand’s UN mission in New York and in the attorney-general’s offices in Bangkok and Udon Thani province.
From 2012 to 2014, she served as ambassador to Austria, with duties also covering Slovenia and Slovakia.
Campaign for female prisoners
Her best-known public work centered on women in prison and criminal justice reform.
Al Jazeera linked her to the Kamlangjai, or “Inspire,” campaign, which supported female inmates, including pregnant prisoners and mothers preparing for life after release.
Her advocacy also contributed to international standards for the treatment of women in custody, later associated with the UN’s “Bangkok Rules.”
No heir named
In 2021, King Vajiralongkorn appointed her chief of staff in his close bodyguard command and gave her the rank of general, BBC wrote.
The appointment added to public attention around her place in the royal family. The king, 73, has not publicly named an heir.
Thai tradition favors male succession, but TV 2 noted that a 1974 change allows a daughter to inherit if no successor has been formally appointed.
Prince Dipangkorn, the king’s youngest son, is expected to draw closer scrutiny.
Sources: BBC, TV 2, Al Jazeera
