Thai Princess Bajrakitiyabha, Heir Apparent, Dies at 47

Princess Bajrakitiyabha Narendira Debyavati, the eldest child of King Maha Vajiralongkorn, died on Thursday at a Bangkok hospital, the royal palace said. The 47-year-old had been in a coma for three and a half years following a collapse while jogging with her dogs in a northern Thailand park in December 2022. She was placed on life support after doctors identified an abdominal infection that led to low blood pressure and an irregular heartbeat.

Her death adds uncertainty to the succession debate in Thailand, where the king, 73, has not publicly named an heir. Analysts had previously viewed the princess as a potential candidate to become the country's first ruling queen because she was the only child of the king and his first wife, Princess Soamsawali, who is also his cousin.