Princess Pa, the eldest child of Thai King Maha Vajiralongkorn, was hospitalised in December 2022 after falling unconscious due to a heart condition – she has now passed away
Thailand’s Princess Bajrakitiyabha Narendira Debyavati has passed away at the age of 47, the royal palace announced.
The princess, popularly known as Princess Pa, was the eldest child of Thai King Maha Vajiralongkorn. She was hospitalised in December 2022 after falling unconscious due to a heart condition.
She died on the evening of Thursday, June 11 after her condition deteriorated due to an intra-abdominal infection, colitis, low blood pressure, arrhythmias and blood clotting disorders, the statement said.
The princess was born on December 7, 1978. During her life, she played an active role in trying improve the livelihoods of female prisoners and had an impressive diplomatic career.
Princess Pa studied law at Cornell University, where she obtained a Master’s degree and a Doctorate. She worked as an attorney in the Thai Office of the Attorney-General between 2006 and 2011.
From 2012 to 2014, she was Thailand’s ambassador to Austria, Slovenia and Slovakia.
She returned to Thailand in a role at the attorney-general’s office in Bangkok.
The princess also founded a charity promoting the rights of female inmates, particularly those who were pregnant while in prison.
In 2017, Bajrakitiyabha was appointed as the goodwill ambassador for the rule of law in Southeast Asia by the United Nations Commission on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice.
She transferred to the army in 2021, where she was bestowed the rank of a general and served as a chief of staff in the Royal Security Command.
The princess was one of the king’s three children who are eligible to take the throne under the constitution.
The palace will hold royal funeral rites, while the government is expected to declare a period of national mourning.
