Thailand princess collapses from heart condition while training dogs

Princess Bajrakitiyabha’s current condition remains unclear, with some reports suggesting the situation is serious

Thailand’s King Maha Vajiralongkorn (left) is accompanied by Queen Suthida (right) and Princess Bajrakitiyabha Mahidol (centre) as he presides over the annual royal ploughing ceremony near the Grand Palace in Bangkok in May 2019 (AFP)

Thailand’s Princess Bajrakitiyabha Narendira Debyavati, the eldest daughter of the king and likely next in line to the throne, collapsed on Wednesday evening due to a heart condition, the palace has said.

The 44-year-old daughter of King Maha Vajiralongkorn passed out at 6.30pm on Wednesday while training her dogs in the Pak Chong district of the Nakhon Ratchasima province.

The princess was taken to Pak Chong Nana Hospital in the same district for initial treatment after she passed out, under the advice of royal doctors.

Later she was taken to Bangkok’s King Chulalongkorn Memorial Hospital by helicopter, and doctors said that her condition there last night was “stable to a certain extent”.

The Bangkok Post reported that the princess’s pets were being trained to compete in the Thailand Working Dog Championship, organised by the Royal Thai Army and being held from 10 to 19 December.

King Vajiralongkorn has rushed to be by his daughter’s side after the medical emergency, Royal Central reported. Though the king has not formally named an heir, Bajrakitiyabha is the eldest and most accomplished of his children and widely seen as the most likely candidate to succeed him, alongside her 17-year-old half brother Prince Dipangkorn Rasmijoti.

Some reports suggested that Princess Bajrakitiyabha’s condition was more serious than has been made out, with journalists noting that the palace’s statements on the health of royal family members are typically vague and ambiguously worded.

Princess  Bajrakitiyabha has a PhD in law from Cornell University and was Thailand’s ambassador to Austria from 2012 to 2014. She has worked on a number of projects with the United Nations and was appointed as a representative of Thailand for UN Women in September 2008.

Last year, she was appointed chief of staff of the Royal Security Command, with the rank of general.

She is the eldest daughter of King Vajiralongkorn and his first wife, Princess Soamsawali Kitiyakara.