Princess Bajrakitiyabha Mahidol, the eldest daughter of Thailand's King Maha Vajiralongkorn and a prominent advocate for justice reform, has died at age 47 after three years in a coma. The royal household announced her passing, noting she died at a Bangkok hospital. Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul declared her death a national grief and lauded her legacy of promoting kindness, justice, and equality. The princess was known for her Kamlangjai project to rehabilitate female prisoners and her role in establishing the UN's Bangkok Rules.
Princess Bajrakitiyabha Mahidol, the eldest child of King Maha Vajiralongkorn of Thailand and a trained lawyer, has died at the age of 47. The Bureau of the Royal Household confirmed her passing on Friday, stating she died the previous evening at King Chulalongkorn Memorial Hospital in Bangkok.
She had been under continuous medical care at the facility since losing consciousness due to a severe illness three years prior. The nation entered a period of mourning as Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul delivered a televised address, describing the loss as an immeasurable grief for the entire country.
He hailed her as a symbol of national pride and emphasized that her dedication to fostering a society rooted in kindness, justice, and equality would serve as a lasting moral legacy and guiding light for future generations of Thais. In the atrium of the hospital where she had been treated, a small, solemn gathering of mourners materialized on Friday. Many held cherished photographs of the princess from various stages of her life.
One mourner, Pattamaporn Kaewkityakorn, explained she had spent the night at the hospital in a show of support, unaware the death announcement would be made the next morning.
"I know she was sick, but I wished there were a miracle," she said, her voice shaking with emotion. "I was saddened and shocked. " The princess's hospitalization began in December 2022 after she collapsed while training dogs for an army exhibition. The royal household initially disclosed a mycoplasma infection, a bacterial condition often linked to pneumonia.
The severity of her condition had been subtly signaled months earlier during the 2023 New Year when the King and Queen appeared in their greeting card dressed in somber black attire. Bajrakitiyabha was born on December 7, 1978, to King Vajiralongkorn, then the crown prince, and his former wife, Princess Soamsawali.
As the monarch's eldest child, her role and experience in public service had fueled speculation about her potential future position in the line of succession, particularly as a possible regent for her younger half-brother, Prince Dipangkorn Rasmijoti, who stands to inherit the throne. Her academic credentials were distinguished; she earned a law degree from Thammasat University before pursuing advanced studies at Cornell University in New York, where she received a master's in law in 2002 and a doctorate in 2005.
Her doctoral dissertation focused on the protection of the rights of the accused. In recognition of her work, Cornell established a scholarship in her name and a legal scholar exchange program between the university and Thailand. After a brief stint at the Thai Mission to the United Nations in New York City, she returned to Thailand to work as a public prosecutor. Her diplomatic career included an appointment as Thailand's ambassador to Austria from 2012 to 2014.
Upon returning home, she dedicated herself to criminal justice reform. In 2017, the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime appointed her a goodwill ambassador. She became best known for her Kamlangjai or "Inspire" project, an initiative designed to help rehabilitate incarcerated Thai women before their release. She also championed campaigns to improve prison conditions for women and worked to prevent violence against women.
Her advocacy was instrumental in the UN General Assembly's adoption of the "Bangkok Rules," which set standards for the treatment of female prisoners worldwide. In a 2013 interview with The Associated Press, she underscored the importance of the rule of law, stating, "Society cannot grow if there is instability and injustice. Without the rule of law, without a good justice system, it's always chaos.
I think the rule of law is a very important pillar to development, to economic growth, and of course to human rights.
" Princess Bajrakitiyabha is survived by her parents and several siblings from her father's multiple marriages
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