Thailand’s royal palace has announced the death of Princess Bajrakitiyabha Mahidol, the eldest child of King Maha Vajiralongkorn. She was 47 and had spent almost four years in a coma.
Known widely in Thailand as Princess Bha, she had been hospitalized since December 2022, when she collapsed after suffering heart-related complications while training her dogs. Updates on her condition had been limited in the years that followed. In May, the palace said her health had declined further because of infections affecting multiple organs, and doctors were unable to bring her irregular heartbeat under control.
Princess Bajrakitiyabha was born in 1978 to then-Crown Prince Vajiralongkorn and Princess Soamsawali, who was both his wife and cousin. She was highly educated, earning several degrees, including a doctorate from Cornell University. Over her career, she held roles in diplomacy, law and royal service, including serving as Thailand’s ambassador to Austria, working in the attorney general’s office, joining the royal security command and acting as a goodwill ambassador for the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime. She was also known for advocating on behalf of women in prison.
Her death is likely to renew attention on Thailand’s royal succession, a subject rarely discussed openly because of the country’s strict lese majesty laws. Criticism of the monarchy can result in lengthy prison sentences. Although the palace had never formally named her as an heir, many observers viewed Bajrakitiyabha as a possible future successor because of her public role, education and royal status.
Earlier palace statements said doctors had discovered a stomach infection in April that caused intestinal inflammation, lowered her blood pressure and worsened her heart rhythm. Her breathing and kidney function were being supported by medical equipment.
King Vajiralongkorn has been married four times and has seven children. Bajrakitiyabha was one of only three who held royal titles, along with Princess Sirivannavari, 38, and Prince Dipangkorn, 20.
Some analysts had previously suggested that Bajrakitiyabha might one day serve as regent for Prince Dipangkorn, who has been reported to have learning difficulties, while others speculated she could become queen in her own right. Thailand has never had a reigning queen.
The king’s four other sons have lived overseas since the 1990s, after his divorce from their mother, former actor Sujarinee. Their sister, Princess Sirivannavari, was brought back to Thailand and raised within the royal family. The estranged sons returned to Thailand in 2023 for the first time in decades and made several visits afterward, but in 2025 said they had been refused entry to the country.
Bajrakitiyabha’s mother, Princess Soamsawali, divorced the king in 1991 but kept her royal title and remains an important figure within the monarchy. Prince Dipangkorn’s mother, Srirasmi Suwadee, lost her royal title after members of her family were accused of corruption.
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