Thailand's Princess Bajrakitiyabha, the king's first daughter, dies at 47.

For over three years, Thailand held its breath, hoping for a miracle, but on Thursday evening, the battle for "Princess Bha" ended. Bajrakitiyabha Mahidol, eldest daughter of the powerful Thai King Maha Vajiralongkorn, died at the age of 47. She was more than just a figurehead: a criminal lawyer, ambassador, and fierce advocate for women's rights, her tragic passing leaves the country bereft of one of its most modern and beloved royal figures, reopening delicate questions about the future succession to the throne. 

The formal announcement came Friday morning via the Royal Household Office. The princess passed away peacefully on Thursday evening, after a long and silent medical ordeal that began in December 2022 due to sudden illness. According to official reports, Bajrakitiyabha had been suffering from an abdominal infection that progressively compromised her health. As early as last year, the Palace had confirmed the need for constant medical support for her lung and kidney function. 

The country is now stopping to pay its respects: her body will be laid to rest in the majestic Grand Palace in Bangkok, where the funeral will be held with the highest honors in royal tradition. 

The only child from the king's first marriage to Princess Soamsawali, Bajrakitiyabha had distinguished herself with a resume that went far beyond the leisure of court. With a strong international background, she had studied in Great Britain, her homeland, and the United States, graduating with a law degree from the prestigious Cornell University. 

During her career, she served as Thailand's ambassador to Austria and worked actively at the United Nations. During a speech on an American university campus in 2012, she described her unique role in the world this way: "I ask myself now, what exactly am I? A prosecutor? A criminal defense lawyer? A diplomat? The answer is all of them together. I say I'm a hybrid." 

Her greatest commitment was to women's rights, particularly fighting to improve the harsh living conditions of female inmates in Thai prisons, an initiative that made her extremely popular. 

Bajrakitiyabha's death is not only a private grief for the monarchy, but also an event with significant geopolitical significance. Within Thai society, where the royal family occupies a position of absolute and untouchable preeminence—protected by stringent lèse-majesté laws that punish critics with up to 15 years in prison—the princess's figure was central. 

Very close to her 73-year-old father, she had been appointed to a very senior post in command of the royal bodyguard just a year before her fatal illness. Although Thailand's strict succession rules favor the male line, the king—father of seven children from four marriages—has not yet officially designated an heir to the throne. The passing of his eldest daughter, widely seen as a pillar of stability and competence for the monarchy, now deprives the Crown of one of its most brilliant and respected assets at home and abroad. 

(Adnkronos)