Princess Bajrakitiyabha's Passing
Thailand's Princess Bajrakitiyabha, who had been in a coma for more than three years, has died, according to an announcement from the royal household.
She collapsed in December 2022 while exercising her dogs. Medical professionals attributed her condition to a severely irregular heartbeat caused by a mycoplasma infection in her heart.
Significance to the Thai Royal Family
Her death marks the loss of the Thai royal family's most visibly accomplished member, and someone who was considered a potential key figure in the country's uncertain royal succession.
Princess Bajrakitiyabha was the eldest of King Vajiralongkorn's seven children, born on 7 December 1978 to his first wife and cousin, Princess Soamsawali.
Education and Career
She trained as a lawyer and earned two postgraduate degrees from Cornell University in the United States. Following her studies, she briefly worked at the Thai mission to the United Nations in New York before returning to Thailand to serve in the Attorney-General's offices in Bangkok and other locations across the country.
From 2012 to 2014, she served as Thailand's ambassador to Austria, where she developed a relationship with the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC).
Advocacy and Public Service
Princess Bajrakitiyabha became an advocate for penal reform, focusing particularly on vulnerable women incarcerated in Thailand, a country noted for having one of the world's highest numbers of female inmates.
After returning to Thailand, she was appointed as the UNODC's Ambassador for the Rule of Law in Southeast Asia and continued to promote reforms in Thailand's criminal justice system, which is known for imposing severe sentences on individuals convicted of relatively minor drug possession offenses.
Military Role and Personal Interests
In 2021, King Vajiralongkorn appointed her as a chief of staff in his private bodyguard unit, granting her the rank of general.
Princess Bajrakitiyabha was also known as a fitness enthusiast who frequently participated in long-distance running events.
Royal Succession Context
Her capabilities and the apparent trust her father placed in her made her a central figure in speculation regarding the royal succession.
King Vajiralongkorn, aged 73, has not yet named an heir. While Thai custom traditionally dictates that the heir be male, a 1974 constitutional amendment permits a female to ascend the throne.
The King has five sons. Four sons from his second marriage were disowned in 1996 and have since lived with their mother in the United States. His fifth son, Dipangkorn, from his third marriage, is the presumed heir, although doubts have been expressed about his suitability to fulfill the role of monarch in a nation where the royal institution holds significant influence.
For many supporters of the monarchy in Thailand, Princess Bajrakitiyabha was viewed as the most promising candidate to succeed her father, either as queen or as a regent assisting Prince Dipangkorn.
Her death leaves the question of succession unresolved. Due to the strict lese majeste laws in Thailand, public discussion on this topic remains prohibited.
