Thailand’s Princess Bajrakitiyabha dies aged 47 after years in a coma

Princess Bajrakitiyabha Mahidol, the eldest child of King Maha Vajiralongkorn, has died aged 47 after nearly four years in a coma. She had been hospitalised since December 2022 after becoming gravely ill while training her dogs; palace statements said her condition had worsened in early May because of multiple infections and physicians were unable to stabilise an irregular heart rate.

In April doctors discovered a stomach infection that caused intestinal inflammation, a fall in blood pressure and an irregular heartbeat. Palace statements said her kidney function and breathing had been supported through medical equipment. Born in 1978 to then-Crown Prince Vajiralongkorn and Princess Soamsawali, Bajrakitiyabha held several degrees, including a doctorate from Cornell University.

She served as ambassador to Austria, worked in the attorney general’s office and the royal security command, acted as a goodwill ambassador to the UN office on drugs and crime, and campaigned for the rights of female prisoners.

Thailand

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