THAILAND'S PRINCESS BAJRAKITIYABHA DIES AFTER THREE-YEAR COMA

Princess Bajrakitiyabha Narendira Debyavati, the eldest child of King Maha Vajiralongkorn, died on Thursday evening. She was 47. The princess had remained in a coma for more than three years after collapsing whilst exercising her dogs in December 2022. A heart condition triggered her initial loss of consciousness. The royal household stated that medical staff provided intensive care throughout her illness, but her condition deteriorated progressively due to multiple health complications.

Bajrakitiyabha obtained a Master's degree and Doctorate in law from Cornell University and worked as an attorney in Thailand's Office of the Attorney-General between 2006 and 2011. She served as Thailand's ambassador to Austria, Slovenia and Slovakia from 2012 to 2014, and later founded a charity supporting the rights of female prisoners, particularly those who were pregnant whilst incarcerated. In 2017, the United Nations Commission on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice appointed her as a goodwill ambassador for the rule of law in Southeast Asia. She transferred to the Thai army in 2021 and attained the rank of general, serving as a chief of staff in the Royal Security Command.

As one of three of the King's children with formal titles under the Thai constitution, Bajrakitiyabha was eligible to succeed to the throne. Her death follows that of Queen Mother Suthida's mother-in-law, who died at 93 in October of the previous year.