Thailand is mourning Princess Bajrakitiyabha, the eldest daughter of King Maha Vajiralongkorn, who has died at the age of 47 after more than three years in a coma, the royal office said.
The princess, affectionately known as Bha in Thailand, died peacefully at King Chulalongkorn Memorial Hospital in Bangkok on Thursday evening, the royal household said. She had been taken to hospital after collapsing in December 2022 and had been in a coma ever since.
Her health had deteriorated significantly in May. According to her doctors, she was suffering from multiple infections in different organs. Her blood pressure had dropped and she had developed an irregular heartbeat.
Medical equipment had been supporting her lung and kidney function. Her condition became increasingly critical on Thursday, according to the statement.
The king ordered that her body be taken to the throne hall at the Grand Palace in Bangkok, where members of the public will be able to pay their respects. The princess is later to be buried with the highest honours.
The Grand Palace is the historic and cultural heart of Bangkok and one of Thailand's most important landmarks.
Heart condition suspected
The royal household had issued only sporadic updates on the princess's condition in recent years.
She suddenly collapsed three and a half years ago while training her dogs in the north-eastern province of Nakhon Ratchasima. A heart condition was believed to have been the cause.
Since then, she had been treated in hospital in Bangkok but was not believed to have regained consciousness. For a long time, little was known about her exact condition.
After her collapse, people repeatedly prayed and laid flowers in front of an altar with a portrait of the princess at the hospital. Thais also knelt before her image in many temples across the country.
Lawyer and ambassador
A graduate of Cornell Law School, she had held several international positions, including UN Women's Goodwill Ambassador in 2008 and Chairperson of the United Nations Commission on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice (CCPCJ) in 2011.
She also served as Thailand's ambassador to Austria in 2012-14 and worked as a public prosecutor for Thailand's Office of the Attorney General.
Observers say Princess Bha had long been part of the king's inner circle. The monarch has not named an official heir, although male heirs are generally preferred in the line of succession. Besides Bajrakitiyabha, the king officially has six other children from three different relationships.
In October, the king's mother, Sirikit, died at the age of 93. She had been queen for more than six decades until the death of king Bhumibol in 2016.
