Tears and tributes filled the air as crowds gathered to mourn the death of Thailand's Princess Bajrakitiyabha, known affectionately as Princess Bha. The beloved royal, said to have embodied 'everything good in Thailand,' died in hospital after nearly four years in a coma.
Mourners Gather at Hospital
At King Chulalongkorn Memorial Hospital in Bangkok, mourners dressed in black sat side by side, their eyes pink from crying for the woman whose portraits they cradled in their laps. Some images were framed in gold, others in plastic sleeves, charting the princess's life from a rosy-cheeked baby to a young royal in red military dress replete with shining badges and ceremonial sword. Later photos showed her posing with one of the dogs she was training in 2022 when she became gravely ill with heart problems.
A Life Cut Short
Bajrakitiyabha, 47, had been in hospital ever since her collapse, and after nearly four years in a coma, died on Thursday night. Many analysts had considered her a well-suited heir to the throne, though this was never officially addressed.
“I don’t believe she died,” said Sittinee Damaonsondpoan, a Thai language teacher who took the day off work to grieve. “The people of Thailand love her very much. I’m so sad. The princess carried the qualities of everything good in Thailand: loyalty, kindness.”
Nation in Mourning
The grief for the princess was compounded, coming so soon after the queen mother’s death in October. While patients and medical staff passed by in the hospital’s busy central corridor, mourners gathered in an outdoor covered foyer in humid 32°C conditions. Volunteers handed out tissues and bottles of scent. Some sat silently, heads bowed, while others embraced.
The signs of national mourning were visible beyond the hospital. News websites switched to black and white, while bus-ticket collectors wore black ribbon pins. The number 47 – the princess’s age – was sold out at local lotteries around the city, such as that run by Dao Buekaew in the central riverside district of Bang Rak.
Official Mourning Rites
The official mourning rites announced by the Royal Palace will begin on Saturday, when a funeral procession will bring the princess’s coffin from Chulalongkorn Hospital to Piman Rattaya Throne Hall in the Grand Palace. According to local media reports based on a palace statement, the public will be allowed to take part in the royal bathing rites, pouring water over the princess.
Boonruksa Louhavitayarat, another mourner at the hospital, said she had heard the news from her child on Thursday night and knew she had to come the next morning. Like other women at the hospital, she printed an image of Bajrakitiyabha to bring in her honour. She carried multiple images of the princess at various ages. “My heart is very deeply sad,” Louhavitayarat said.
In a televised statement, Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul said the news had brought “profound sorrow and grief to Thai people throughout the Kingdom” and that no words could fully convey “the feelings of the Thai people for this great loss.”
“With her firm determination, Her Royal Highness dedicated her strength and ingenuity to creating a society founded upon justice, equality and human dignity,” Charnvirakul said. “Her well-rounded abilities – as a legal scholar, diplomat and social worker – served as an enduring example, inspiring Thai people to believe in their own potential, strive for self-improvement, and use their knowledge for the benefit of society and the country.”
