Thailand’s Queen Bajrakitiyabha dies aged 47 after three years of coma | Articles about Obituaries

The daughter, who was known for her legal work, died in a Bangkok hospital after years of illness.

Princess Bajrakitiyabha Mahidol of Thailand, who was in a coma for three years after an illness, has died at the age of 47.

The eldest of seven children of King Maha Vajiralongkorn, the queen died on Thursday evening at a hospital in Bangkok, where she had been cared for since she collapsed, the Bureau of the Royal Household said on Friday.

In a statement on television, Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul said the late queen was “the pride of Thailand,” and that “her dedication to building a society of compassion, justice and equality will remain a national heritage, a guiding light for generations of Thais”.

Queen Bajrakitiyabha was popular among Thais for her public service and justice reform projects, especially her Kamlangjai or “Inspire” campaign, which helped rehabilitate women who were imprisoned in Thailand before they were released.

His role separates him from other members of the royal family who are considered aloof by Thai people, experts say.

Although men are favored in the line of succession to the throne, recent changes in the constitution mean the princess could become Thailand’s traditional female ruler, reports Al Jazeera’s Tony Cheng in Bangkok.

“He was active in many charities,” Kasidit Ananthanathorn, a lecturer at Ramkhamhaeng University, told Al Jazeera. “I think his majesty has positioned himself well among the people… He made people feel that the royal family can be useful to the people.”

A life of service

The late queen was born on December 7, 1978, to Vajiralongkorn, then crown prince, and his then wife, Princess Soamsawali. Her full royal name and title was Princess Bajrakitiyabha Narendiradebyavati, but many called her Bha or Patty.

Educated as a lawyer at Cornell University, Princess Bajrakitiyabha served briefly at the Thai Permanent Mission to the United Nations in New York in the early 2000s before returning to serve as the country’s attorney general for Udon Thani Province.

From 2012 to 2014, he was the Thai ambassador to Austria. He was selected as a good ambassador for the UN Office on Drugs and Crime in 2017.

As a result of her efforts, the UN General Assembly adopted the “Bangkok Rules” on the care and conditions of female prisoners in 2010.

The heir to the throne is now the late queen’s brother, Dipangkorn Rasmijoti, 21, who is rarely seen, Al Jazeera’s Cheng said. He was born to King Vajiralongkorn and his third common-law wife, Sriasmi Suwadee, and is the youngest child of the king.

On Friday, mourners gathered at the grounds of King Chulalongkorn Memorial Hospital, where the princess has been receiving treatment since her illness. Some have kept his photos taken for years.

“I know he’s sick, but I wish there was a miracle,” Pattamaporn Kaewkityakorn told The Associated Press. He said he arrived on Thursday and stayed up all night to show his support, not knowing that his death would be announced in the morning.