Thai Princess Bajrakitiyabha, former ambassador |., has died at the age of 47 Today’s news
(Bloomberg) — Princess Bajrakitiyabha Narendira Debyavati of Thailand, a prison reform advocate and the eldest daughter of King Maha Vajiralongkorn, has died, according to the Bureau of the Royal Household.
The 47-year-old princess, who had been hospitalized since 2022, died late Thursday at King Chulalongkorn Memorial Hospital in Bangkok, the authority said in a statement on Friday. Despite intensive treatment, her condition worsened due to an abdominal infection and other complications.
The palace said the funeral would be held with the highest royal honours.
The announcement of Princess Bajrakitiyabha’s death came nearly four years after she collapsed due to a heart condition while training her pet for a competition in December 2022. She has since been fitted with medical equipment to support her lung and kidney functions, according to the authority.
As King Vajiralongkorn has not formally named a successor, Bajrakitiyabha has been seen by some analysts as a potential heir to the throne, potentially making her the first female monarch of the Southeast Asian nation.
Bajrakitiyabha was the eldest of the king’s seven children from three different marriages before his fourth and current wife, Queen Suthida. Bajrakitiyabha was the only child Vajiralongkorn had with his cousin and first wife, Princess Soamsawali.
The princess was the first grandchild of the late King Bhumibol Adulyadej – who was the world’s third longest-reigning monarch after France’s Louis XIV. and Queen Elizabeth II. – and Queen Sirikit, who died last year.
Bajrakitiyabha, sometimes referred to in the local media as the “law princess”, had a juris doctorate from Cornell University and was a qualified barrister in Thailand. The Bajrakitiyabha Fund for Legal Education was established in her name in 2006 to award scholarships to Thai students studying at her alma mater.
Princess Bajrakitiyabha has served in many roles in Thailand’s public sector since the turn of the century. Among the most significant was her role as Thailand’s ambassador to Austria, while simultaneously serving as the nation’s representative to the United Nations and other international organizations in Vienna.
At home, she served in the Office of the Attorney-General and was appointed to the roles of Goodwill Ambassador for UN Women and the UN Office on Drugs and Crime.
The princess was an advocate of prison reform with a particular interest in the welfare of female prisoners. She initiated the royal Kamlangjai (or Inspiration) project to support women and children in prison and prepare them for their return to society. Bajrakitiyabha also led the Thai advocacy campaign that ultimately led the UN General Assembly to adopt the Bangkok Rules aimed at improving the lives of women prisoners in 2010.
In 2021, she was promoted to the rank of army general by the king. In August 2025, while she remained hospitalized, she was appointed Deputy Commander of the Royal Personal Royal Security Command.
–With help from Suttinee Yuvejwattana.
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