Thailand's Princess Bajrakitiyabha dies at 47 after long illness, leaving monarchy succession uncertain

Death announced after years in coma

The royal palace announced on Friday 12 June that Princess Bajrakitiyabha Mahidol, known as Princess Bha, died on the evening of 11 June. She had been hospitalised since December 2022, when she collapsed due to a heart condition while exercising her dogs in Nakhon Ratchasima. Initially the palace cited an infection; later bulletins described a severe blood infection and organ failure. The final announcement said her death resulted from an intra-abdominal infection, colitis, low blood pressure, arrhythmias and blood clotting disorders.

“She died on Thursday evening, after her condition worsened due to an intra-abdominal infection, colitis, low blood pressure, arrhythmias, and blood clotting disorders.”

National mourning and state funeral

Thailand will observe 15 days of national mourning with flags at half-mast, according to RFI. The government is expected to declare a period of mourning, the palace said. Her body will be moved to the Grand Palace on Saturday 13 June, where the public can pay respects before a state funeral with full honours. Reuters reported that funeral rites will follow royal tradition. The queen mother had died the previous October at age 93.

A royal heir with a career as diplomat and lawyer

Bajrakitiyabha, born 7 December 1978, was the only child of King Maha Vajiralongkorn and his first wife Princess Soamsawali. She studied law at Cornell University, earning a master's and a doctorate, and then worked as a prosecutor in Thailand from 2006 to 2011. From 2012 to 2014 she served as ambassador to Austria, Slovenia and Slovakia. In 2017 she became a UNODC goodwill ambassador for the rule of law in Southeast Asia. Her domestic work focused on reforming the criminal justice system and improving conditions for female inmates, leading to the adoption of the 'Bangkok Rules' by the UN General Assembly. In 2021 the king appointed her a general and chief of staff of his personal guard.

Succession uncertainty

King Vajiralongkorn, 73, has not named an heir. Under the 1924 succession law sons have priority, and his youngest son Prince Dipangkorn Rasmijoti, 21, is the presumed successor. However a 1974 constitutional amendment allows a woman to ascend, and Bajrakitiyabha's legal and diplomatic experience made her a strong candidate. Analysts saw her as possibly serving as regent for a young monarch. Her death deepens uncertainty about the future of the Thai monarchy, which already faces strict lèse-majesté laws and public debate.

“This loss is not just bad news for the people, but an immeasurable sorrow in the hearts of the whole nation.”