June 12, 2026, 06:19June 12, 2026, 06:23
Great sadness in Thailand: The popular Princess Bajrakitiyabha has died at the age of 47. As the palace announced, she passed away peacefully on Thursday evening (local time) at the King Chulalongkorn Memorial Hospital in Bangkok. King Maha Vajiralongkorn’s eldest daughter, affectionately known as Princess Bha in her homeland, was taken to hospital in December 2022 after collapsing. Since then she has been in a coma.
A woman mourns after the announcement of Bajrakitiyabha’s death.Image: keystone
Her health had already deteriorated significantly in May. According to her doctors, she was suffering from multiple infections in various organs. As a result, the princess’s blood pressure dropped and cardiac arrhythmias occurred. Medical devices have recently supported their lung and kidney function. On Thursday, her condition became increasingly critical, the statement said.
The king ordered her body to be brought to the throne hall at the Grand Palace in Bangkok, where the public can bid her farewell. The princess will later be buried with the highest honors. The Grand Palace is the historical and cultural center of Bangkok and a landmark of Thailand.
Heart disease as a trigger?
In recent years, the royal family has only issued sporadic reports on her condition. Three and a half years ago, the princess suddenly collapsed while training her dogs in the northeastern province of Nakhon Ratchasima. The trigger is said to have been a heart condition. She has since been treated in hospital in Bangkok but is said to have no longer been conscious. For a long time not much was known about her exact condition.
Bha performing in 2020.Image: keystone
After her collapse, people repeatedly prayed and laid flowers in front of an altar set up in the hospital with a portrait of the princess. Thais also knelt before her image in many temples across the country.
Lawyer and ambassador
The doctor of law came from the first marriage of the monarch Maha Vajiralongkorn (73). From 2012 to 2014 she was her country’s ambassador to Austria. She also worked for a time at the United Nations in New York.
Bha alongside King Maha Vajiralongkorn.Image: keystone
According to observers, Princess Bha has been part of the king’s inner circle for years and has not yet named an official heir. In general, however, men are preferred when it comes to succession to the throne. In addition to Bha, the king officially has six other children from three different relationships.
The monarch’s mother, Sirikit, died in October at the age of 93. She was queen for more than six decades until the death of King Bhumibol in 2016. (dab/sda/dpa)