Princess Bajrakitiyabha, 'pride of Thailand', dies at 47 after three-year battle with infection
Princess Bajrakitiyabha, King Maha Vajiralongkorn's eldest daughter, has died aged 47 after being hospitalized since December 2022 with a mycoplasma abdominal infection. She passed away peacefully on Thursday evening.
Thailand's royal palace announced on Friday the death of Princess Bajrakitiyabha Mahidol at age 47, more than three years after she was suddenly hospitalized. The princess, known as Princess Bha, was suffering from a mycoplasma infection—a bacterial infection often linked to pneumonia—and had been relying on medical devices to support her lung and kidney functions. She died peacefully on Thursday evening.
Her body will lie in state at the Grand Palace in Bangkok, and her funeral will be held with the highest honors according to royal tradition. She was the only child from King Maha Vajiralongkorn's first marriage.
Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul said in a televised speech that this loss is an immeasurable grief for the entire nation. He called the princess the "pride of Thailand" and said her commitment to building a society of kindness, justice, and equality will remain a moral legacy for generations.
Bajrakitiyabha studied law at Thammasat University and earned a master's degree and doctorate in law from Cornell University. Her PhD dissertation focused on protecting the rights of the accused. She campaigned for better living conditions for female prisoners and worked to end violence against women. Her efforts led the UN General Assembly to adopt the "Bangkok Rules" on the care and conditions of female inmates. A legal scholars exchange program between Thailand and Cornell was also named after her.
After a brief stint at the Thai Mission to the UN in New York, she returned home to work as a public prosecutor. She later served as Thailand's ambassador to Austria from 2012 to 2014 before returning to focus on criminal justice issues.
Thai scholar Pavin Chachavalpongpun, a known monarchy critic, recalled meeting the princess in Singapore and described her as someone who treated every civil servant with kindness and respect.
On Friday, mourners gathered at Chulalongkorn Hospital, where she had been treated, to pay their respects. Many held portraits of the late princess.
