In memory of Her Royal Highness Princess Bajrakitiyabha

Thailand mourns the passing of Her Royal Highness Princess Bajrakitiyabha Narendiradebyavati Krom Luang Rajasarinisiribajra Mahavajrarajadhita, eldest daughter of His Majesty King Maha Vajiralongkorn, who passed away peacefully on 11 June 2026 at King Chulalongkorn Memorial Hospital in Bangkok. She was 47 years old.

The Royal Household issued the formal announcement on the same evening, confirming that Her Royal Highness had received continuous medical care since December 2022, following a cardiac event. In April 2026, doctors detected a secondary abdominal infection which progressed despite the dedicated care of the medical team. Her Royal Highness passed peacefully at 19:48 hours.

Born in Bangkok on 7 December 1978, Her Royal Highness was the first grandchild of the late His Majesty King Bhumibol Adulyadej the Great, raised in the close company of the Royal Family throughout her childhood and education. She received her early schooling in Thailand and the United Kingdom before reading Law at Thammasat University in Bangkok, where she graduated with first-class honours.

She then continued her studies at Cornell Law School in the United States, completing both a Master of Laws (LL.M.) and the Doctor of the Science of Law (J.S.D.), the highest research degree in the American legal academy. Her doctoral research focused on the role of restorative justice in cases involving women and children, a subject that would define much of her later public work.

Upon returning to Thailand, Her Royal Highness joined the Office of the Attorney General as a public prosecutor, a working role uncommon among members of the Royal Family in modern Thai history. She served in the public prosecution service for many years and held senior administrative positions in the field of criminal justice.

Her Royal Highness''s most enduring public contribution was the Kamlangjai Project, the Inspire Project, which she founded in 2006 to support female prisoners and their children. The programme delivered social, educational and post-release rehabilitation services to women across the Thai prison system, and shaped the broader Thai approach to female incarceration over the following two decades.

Her work led, in 2010, to the United Nations General Assembly adopting the Bangkok Rules, the international standard on the treatment of women prisoners, for which she served as Thailand''s principal advocate at the international level. She was subsequently appointed as Goodwill Ambassador for the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime for the Rule of Law in Southeast Asia, representing Thailand at international forums on criminal justice and women''s rights.

In her cultural and philanthropic life, Her Royal Highness was widely known for her work on canine welfare, supporting shelters and adoption programmes across the country, and personally active in initiatives for stray dogs and the rehoming of working canines after their service.

On 7 December 2019, His Majesty King Maha Vajiralongkorn graciously elevated Her Royal Highness to the rank of Krom Luang Rajasarinisiribajra Mahavajrarajadhita on the occasion of her birthday, the senior royal rank she held until her passing.

The Royal Household has announced that the Royal Cremation Ceremony will be conducted in accordance with Thai royal tradition, with details to be released in due course. The people of Thailand have been asked to refrain from celebratory activities during the national mourning period, in keeping with traditional custom.

Government offices, schools and many private institutions across Thailand are flying flags at half-mast. Embassies and consulates abroad have opened books of condolences for the Thai community overseas.

For the foreign-resident community in Thailand, the passing marks a moment of shared respect for a public figure who, more than any other senior royal of her generation, defined her public life through quiet, sustained professional service in the cause of justice reform. Her Royal Highness was particularly remembered by the international legal community, where the Bangkok Rules and her work with the United Nations carried her name far beyond Thailand.

Latitude joins all in expressing our deepest condolences to His Majesty King Maha Vajiralongkorn, Her Majesty Queen Suthida, the Royal Family, and the people of Thailand.

ทรงพระเจริญ.

*In memory of Her Royal Highness.*