Princess Bajrakitiyabha Dies at 47 After 3-Year Coma

Thailand's Princess Bajrakitiyabha Mahidol had died after a three years in a coma. She was 47.

The eldest child of King Maha Vajiralongkorn, often known as Princess Bha, died on Thursday, June 11, at a hospital in Bangkok, as per a statement from the Royal Household.

"This loss is not merely bad news announced to the people, but an immeasurable grief in the hearts of the entire nation," Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul later said in a televised speech, as per the Associated Press, calling the princess "a pride of Thailand" whose "commitment to building a society of kindness, justice, and equality, will forever remain as a moral legacy for the nation, a guiding light for generations of Thais."

Princess Bajrakitiyabha was hospitalized in December 2022 after falling unconscious, with the palace saying at the time that she had been diagnosed with a mycoplasma infection commonly associated with pneumonia, as per the Cleveland Clinic.

In August 2025, the palace revealed in a statement that the princess' medical team "detected a severe infection in the bloodstream, leading them to administer antibiotics and medication to stimulate blood pressure in order to maintain stable levels," and that her lungs and kidneys had "been functioning with support from medical devices and medication."

Last month, another update from the royal family revealed that Princess Bajrakitiyabha was suffering from "unstable vital signs, low blood pressure, irregular heartbeat and abnormal blood coagulation."

The late princess, who was a lawyer and justice reform activist, was best known for her Kamlangjai, or "Inspire," campaign, which helped to rehabilitate incarcerated Thai women prior to their release.

Having previously studied law at Thammasat University, Princess Bajrakitiyabha came to the U.S. to earn her master's degree in law in 2002 from Cornell University. She went on to earn her doctorate at Cornell three years later before eventually returning to Thailand to work as a public prosecutor.

From 2012 to 2014, the princess served as Thailand's ambassador to Austria, and in 2017, she was appointed a goodwill ambassador for the U.N. Office on Drugs and Crime.

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This story was originally published June 12, 2026 at 6:48 AM.