Bajrakitiyabha Mahidol, the eldest daughter of King Maha Vajiralongkorn, died on Tuesday at the age of 47. She had been in a coma since December 2022, after collapsing while walking her dogs and being hospitalized. The royal family confirmed her death, according to an official statement cited by the BBC.
The princess, also known in Thailand as Princess Bha, was born in 1978 as the child of then-Crown Prince Vajiralongkorn and his wife and cousin Princess Soamsavali. She completed several degrees, including a doctorate from Cornell University, and served as ambassador to Austria, worked in the attorney general’s office, and was a UN Goodwill Ambassador for drug and crime prevention. She also advocated for the rights of imprisoned women.
Many analysts considered Bajrakitiyabha a worthy successor to her father, although this was never officially confirmed. Had she ascended the throne, she would have been Thailand’s first queen in history. Her death now raises questions about the succession – a sensitive topic in Thailand, where public criticism of the monarchy can be punished with up to 15 years in prison.
The princess had rarely been seen in public since her hospitalization in December 2022. In April 2023, the palace announced that her condition had deteriorated due to multiple organ infections and that doctors could not stabilize her irregular heartbeat. Recently, kidney function and breathing were maintained by medical devices.
Source: www.bbc.com
