Thailand princess Bajrakitiyabha dies at 47

Thailand’s princess Bajrakitiyabha Mahidol, a lawyer and the eldest of King Maha Vajiralongkorn’s children, has died astatine 47, the Bureau of the Royal Household said.

She died connected Thursday (June 11, 2026) evening astatine a Bangkok infirmary wherever she had been cared for since falling unconscious owed to unwellness 3 years ago, according to the connection issued connected Friday (June 12, 2026).

“This nonaccomplishment is not simply atrocious quality announced to the people, but an immeasurable grief successful the hearts of the full nation,” Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul said successful a televised speech. He said the princess was “a pridefulness of Thailand”, and that “her committedness to gathering a nine of kindness, justice, and equality, volition everlastingly stay arsenic a motivation bequest for the nation, a guiding airy for generations of Thais”.

A tiny radical of mourners gathered successful an atrium astatine King Chulalongkorn Memorial Hospital, wherever the princess had been treated. Most held framed oregon laminated photos of her passim the years.

Pattamaporn Kaewkityakorn said she had arrived connected Thursday (June 11, 2026) and spent the nighttime determination to amusement her enactment for the princess, unaware that the announcement of her passing would travel the pursuing morning.

“I cognize she was sick, but I wished determination were a miracle,” she said, her dependable trembling. “I was saddened and shocked.” Bajrakitiyabha was progressive successful justness betterment efforts and champion known for her Kamlangjai, oregon “Inspire,” task to assistance rehabilitate incarcerated Thai women up of their release.

Bajrakitiyabha was hospitalised successful December 2022 aft falling unconscious portion grooming dogs for an Army exhibition. The palace said she had a mycoplasma infection, a bacterial corruption usually associated with pneumonia.

Her father's New Year’s greeting paper for 2023 showed King Maha Vajiralongkorn and Queen Suthida garbed successful somber black, which galore Thais saw arsenic confirmation of the gravity of her condition.

The princess was calved connected December 7, 1978, to Vajiralongkorn, who was the crown prince astatine the time, and his then-wife, Princess Soamsawali. Vajiralongkorn has 7 children by 3 of his 4 successive wives. Bajrakitiyabha was besides known by the royal sanction Bajrakitiyabha Narendira Debyavati, utilized successful ceremonial authorities settings.

Prince Dipangkorn Rasmijoti, the youngest of the king’s children, is the presumptive heir due to the fact that sons instrumentality precedence successful Thailand's enactment of succession. But Bajrakitiyabha's acquisition successful nationalist work raised speculation she was acceptable to clasp an important relation successful immoderate aboriginal succession, possibly arsenic regent to a youthful monarch.

Bajrakitiyabha studied instrumentality astatine Thammasat University past went to Cornell University successful New York state, wherever she earned a master’s grade successful instrumentality successful 2002. She earned a doctorate astatine Cornell successful 2005 with a dissertation concerning the extortion of the rights of the accused. Scholarships to Cornell Law School and a programme for the speech of ineligible scholars betwixt Thailand and Cornell were aboriginal established successful her name.

After moving concisely astatine the Thai Mission to the U.N. successful New York City, she returned location and worked arsenic a nationalist prosecutor. She renewed her diplomatic vocation with an assignment arsenic Thailand’s Ambassador to Austria from 2012 to 2014 earlier returning to her homeland to ore connected transgression justness issues. In 2017 she was appointed a goodwill Ambassador for the U.N. Office connected Drugs and Crime.

In summation to moving for the rehabilitation of pistillate convicts, she was progressive successful different projects including a run to heighten the surviving conditions of women prisoners and promoting efforts to stem unit against women arsenic an honorary U.N. goodwill Ambassador for women. Her efforts led to the U.N. General Assembly adopting the “Bangkok Rules” connected attraction and conditions for pistillate prisoners.

“Society cannot turn if determination is instability and injustice,” Bajrakitiyabha said successful a 2013 interrogation with The Associated Press.

“Without the regularisation of law, without a bully justness system, it’s ever chaos,” she said. “I deliberation the regularisation of instrumentality is simply a precise important pillar to development, to economical growth, and of people to quality rights.” Bajrakitiyabha is survived by her parents and siblings.