Thai Princess Bajrakitiyabha Dies Aged 47 After Three-Year Coma
Princess Bajrakitiyabha Narendira Debyavati, the eldest daughter of King Maha Vajiralongkorn, passed away on Thursday evening at Chulalongkorn Hospital in Bangkok. Her death was confirmed by the royal household, stating that despite intensive medical care, her condition had progressively declined since she collapsed in December 2022.
Doctors attributed the collapse to a severely irregular heartbeat, stemming from a mycoplasma infection. The Princess, born on 7 December 1978 to King Vajiralongkorn’s first wife, Princess Soamsawali, was 47.
A distinguished legal professional, Princess Bajrakitiyabha held two post-graduate degrees from Cornell University in the United States. Her career included a tenure at the Thai mission to the United Nations in New York, followed by work within the Attorney-General's offices across Thailand. From 2012 to 2014, she served as Thailand's ambassador to Austria, fostering connections with the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC).
The Princess was a vocal advocate for penal reform, particularly focusing on the welfare of vulnerable women incarcerated in Thailand, which maintains one of the world's highest female inmate populations. Her subsequent role as UNODC Ambassador for the Rule of Law in South East Asia furthered her efforts to reform Thailand's criminal justice system, known for its severe penalties for minor drug offences. In 2021, her father appointed her a general and chief of staff in his private bodyguard.
Her extensive public service and the King's apparent trust in her had made her a prominent subject in discussions regarding the royal succession. King Vajiralongkorn, aged 73, has not yet publicly named an heir. While Thai custom traditionally favours a male successor, a 1974 constitutional amendment permits a female monarch.
The King has five sons from his previous marriages; four were disowned in 1996 and reside in the US. His fifth son, Prince Dipangkorn Rasmijoti, is the presumed heir, though his suitability for the monarchical role has been questioned. For many royalists, Princess Bajrakitiyabha represented a strong contender for the throne or as a regent. Her death leaves the question of Thailand's royal succession unresolved, a topic largely unaddressable publicly due to stringent lese-majesty laws.
