According to Thailand's royal court, the oldest
daughter of the Thai King passed away on Wednesday night due to a cardiac
issue.
The palace said that Princess Bajrakitiyabha, the
eldest child of King Vajiralongkorn, passed out while working with her dogs in
the region northeast of Bangkok.
The 44-year-old was flown by helicopter from a neighboring
hospital to Bangkok, where she is receiving treatment.
Her status was characterized as "stable to a
certain extent" by the palace last night.
According to the BBC's Jonathan Head in Bangkok,
medical updates from the royal palace in Thailand are frequently opaque and
evasive, making it difficult to determine the severity of Princess
Bajrakitiyabha's health from the one statement released about her.
Regarding her current state of health, the statement
says nothing. According to some sources, it may be far more serious than
initially thought.
The princess is the king's eldest child and the
daughter of his first marriage, Princess Soamsawali. Since her father replaced
King Bhumibol in 2016, she has been a member of his inner circle and has been
promoted to senior officer in the king's personal guard.
She has post-graduate degrees in law from two US
colleges, making her the inner royal circle member with the most obvious
accomplishments.
Princess Bajrakitiyabha is widely regarded as the
most suitable heir to the monarchy, despite the fact that King Vajiralongkorn
has not yet appointed an heir to the throne.
She enjoys working out and has a long history of
supporting Thai penal reform.
Since Thailand has one of the highest concentrations
of female convicts in the world, she speaks up specifically for their rights.
From 2012 until 2014, she served as Thailand's
ambassador to Austria.