Thailand’s Princess Bajrakitiyabha Narendira Debyavati has sadly passed away at the age of 47, as announced by the royal palace.
Known affectionately as Princess Pa, she was the firstborn of Thai King Maha Vajiralongkorn and was hospitalized in December 2022 after collapsing due to a heart ailment.
Tragically, she succumbed on the evening of Thursday, June 11 following complications from an intra-abdominal infection, colitis, low blood pressure, arrhythmias, and blood clotting issues.
Born on December 7, 1978, Princess Pa was actively involved in advocating for female prisoners’ well-being and had a distinguished career in diplomacy.
Having pursued law studies at Cornell University, she earned both a Master’s and a Doctorate degree before serving as a legal practitioner in the Thai Office of the Attorney-General from 2006 to 2011.
Between 2012 and 2014, she held the position of Thailand’s ambassador to Austria, Slovenia, and Slovakia before returning to Bangkok to work in the attorney-general’s office.
The princess was also a philanthropist who established a charity focusing on the rights of incarcerated women, especially those pregnant during their imprisonment.
In 2017, Bajrakitiyabha was appointed as the United Nations Commission on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice’s goodwill ambassador for the rule of law in Southeast Asia.
Transitioning to the military in 2021, she was promoted to the rank of general and served as the chief of staff in the Royal Security Command.
As per the constitution, the princess was among the king’s three children eligible to succeed the throne.
The palace will conduct royal funeral ceremonies, and a national mourning period is anticipated to be declared by the government.
