![[AFP]](https://wimg.heraldcorp.com/news/cms/2026/06/12/news-p.v1.20260612.03f9660523cf4c0e9f720cacd0ac2a91_P1.jpg)
Princess Bajrakitiyabha Narendiradebyavati of Thailand, who had been in a coma for more than three years, has died. She was 48.
The Thai Royal Household Bureau announced Friday that the princess had died peacefully the previous evening after her condition steadily deteriorated due to infection. The palace said she succumbed to an intra-abdominal infection and its resulting complications.
The princess collapsed suddenly in December 2022 while visiting Nakhon Ratchasima province in northeastern Thailand. She was transferred to Bangkok for treatment but never regained consciousness.
Doctors at the time diagnosed her with myocarditis caused by a mycoplasma bacterial infection, which triggered a severe arrhythmia that led to her collapse.
The palace said her remains would be enshrined at the Royal Palace in Bangkok, with funeral rites to be conducted "with the highest honors in accordance with royal tradition."
Born in 1978, Princess Bajrakitiyabha was the eldest daughter of King Maha Vajiralongkorn, also known as Rama X. She was also the only child born to the king and his first wife, Princess Soamsawali.
The princess studied law at Thailand's prestigious Thammasat University before earning a master's degree and doctorate in law from Cornell University in the United States. She went on to serve as a prosecutor at the Office of the Attorney General of Thailand starting in 2006, earning the nickname "Prosecutor Princess."
She was also active in diplomacy, serving as Thailand's ambassador to Austria, Slovenia and Slovakia from 2012 to 2014, and as a goodwill ambassador for UN Women and the UN Office on Drugs and Crime.
She took a particular interest in the rights and rehabilitation of women prisoners. She contributed to the adoption of the Bangkok Rules — an international standard for the treatment of female inmates — at the UN General Assembly in 2010, and was involved in a range of other social advocacy work.
King Rama X has been married four times and has seven children in total, including Princess Bajrakitiyabha — five sons and two daughters.
Princess Bajrakitiyabha had long been regarded as one of the most prominent public figures of the Thai royal family. Her work as a legal professional, diplomat and social advocate leaves a void felt not only in Thai society but also in international organizations and human rights circles.
rainbow@heraldcorp.com
