Princess Bajrakitiyabha Mahidol of Thailand has died at the age of 47. The late princess was pictured waving to crowds during a procession in Bangkok on 1 November 2020. Photograph: Rungroj Yongrit/EPA.
Princess Bajrakitiyabha Dies After Years in Coma
Thailand's Princess Bajrakitiyabha Mahidol, the eldest child of King Maha Vajiralongkorn, has died aged 47, the palace announced, after nearly four years in a coma. Known in Thailand as Princess Bha, she had been hospitalized since December 2022 when she became gravely ill due to heart problems while training her dogs.
There were few updates on her health after her hospitalization, but in early May, the palace stated that her medical condition had worsened due to multiple infections in several organs, and doctors were unable to stabilize her irregular heart rate. In April, physicians found a stomach infection that caused inflammation in her intestines, leading to a drop in blood pressure and irregular heartbeat. Her kidney function and breathing were supported by medical equipment, according to palace statements.
Early Life and Career
Born in 1978 to then-Crown Prince Vajiralongkorn and his wife and cousin, Princess Soamsawali, Bajrakitiyabha held several degrees, including a doctorate from Cornell University. She served as an ambassador to Austria, worked in the attorney general's office, the royal security command, and was a goodwill ambassador for the UN Office on Drugs and Crime. She also campaigned for the rights of female prisoners.
Succession Questions
Her death raises questions about succession, a sensitive issue in Thailand where public discussion of the monarchy is limited by strict lese-majeste laws. Criticism of the royal family can lead to up to 15 years in prison per charge. Bajrakitiyabha was considered by many analysts to be a well-suited heir to the throne, though this was never officially addressed.
King Maha Vajiralongkorn has married four times and has seven children. Bajrakitiyabha was one of only three of his children to hold a royal title, along with Princess Sirivannavari, 38, and Prince Dipangkorn, 20. Some speculated that Bajrakitiyabha might have acted as regent for Dipangkorn, who is reported to have learning difficulties, or become queen herself. Thailand has never had a ruling queen.
The king's four other sons have lived abroad since the mid-1990s after he divorced their mother, Sujarinee, a former actor, publicly accusing her of adultery. Their sister, Princess Sirivannavari, was returned to Thailand and raised as a royal. The estranged sons traveled to Thailand for the first time in decades in 2023 and made several visits until 2025, when they claimed they were denied entry.
The king divorced Bajrakitiyabha's mother in 1991, but she retains a royal title and is a key member of the monarchy. Dipangkorn's mother, Srirasmi Suwadee, was stripped of her royal title after her family was accused of corruption.
