Princess Bajrakitiyabha of Thailand dies at 47

Princess Bajrakitiyabha, the eldest daughter of Thailand’s King Vajiralongkorn, has died at the age of 47. She passed away at Chulalongkorn Hospital in Bangkok on Thursday evening, following a period of nearly four years in a coma. The princess collapsed in December 2022 while training her dogs in Nakhon Ratchasima province. While some reports attributed her collapse to a mycoplasma infection causing an irregular heartbeat, others described it as a severe cardiac episode leading to multiple organ complications. Born in 1978 to the King's first wife, Princess Soamsawali, she was a trained lawyer who earned degrees from Cornell University. She served as Thailand's ambassador to Austria and was a prominent advocate for penal reform, particularly regarding women in prison. Following her death, the Royal Household announced a 100-day mourning period, after which a cremation ceremony will be held.