Princess, Likely Next in Line to Throne, Suddenly Collapses: 'Very Unusual'
Thai Princess Bajrakitiyabha has been hospitalized after suffering from what was apparently a major heart episode while out with her dogs, multiple news outlets have reported.
The princess, 44, lost consciousness Wednesday at Pak Chong in the northeastern Nakhon Ratchasima province, according to a royal statement, ABC News reported.
The princess had traveled to Pak Chong for her dogs to compete in the Thai army’s working dog championship.
To have someone viewed as young and fit come down with a sudden heart condition is, “very unusual,” according to Andrew Marshall, whose Twitter biography describes him as a journalist who publishes the SecretSiam.news website.
The princess was treated at a local hospital and was flown by helicopter to Bangkok after her condition had “stabilized to a certain extent,” according to a palace statement. She was receiving care at King Chulalongkorn Memorial Hospital, ABC reported.
Bajrakitiyabha is King Vajiralongkorn’s eldest child and one of three children to hold formal titles.
Some news outlets reported that she may not be next in line to the throne, because the Thai order of succession normally puts male heirs first, according to CNN.
However, BBC News reported that she is widely viewed as the most suitable successor.
According to BBC, Bajrakitiyabha is a member of her father’s innermost circle and she has become a senior officer in the king’s personal guard.
Bajrakitiyabha has served as Thailand’s ambassador to Austria and as a U.N. Women National Ambassador, according to ABC News.
She also completed her post-graduate law studies at New York’s Cornell University.
BBC called Bajrakitiyabha a “fitness enthusiast” who has long been an advocate for prison reform in her country.
“She is especially vocal for female prisoners, of which Thailand has one of the world’s highest populations,” the BBC reported.
While the royal statement has indicated that Bajrakitiyabha had stabilized, Marshall has said his sources reported that she was being “artificially kept alive.”
Some sources are saying that despite CPR being carried out for more than an hour, there was no response and she has been put on an ECMO machine, which basically means she is dead but being artificially kept alive. 2/3
— Andrew MacGregor Marshall (@zenjournalist) December 14, 2022
“Some sources are saying that despite CPR being carried out for more than an hour, there was no response and she has been put on an ECMO machine, which basically means she is dead but being artificially kept alive,” Marshall wrote in a tweet.
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