(Bangkok) The eldest daughter of the King of Thailand, Princess Bajrakitiyabha Mahidol, has been hospitalized in Bangkok after a heart problem that knocked her unconscious, the royal palace announced on Thursday.
“She fainted due to a heart problem” while training with a dog ahead of a canine competition organized by the army, the official body said.
The incident happened at 6:20 p.m. Wednesday (6:20 a.m. Thursday [heure de l’Est]) in Pak Chong (center), in the province of Nakhon Ratchasima, about a three-hour drive northeast of Bangkok.
Once her state of health was “stable” in a local hospital, she was transported by helicopter to a hospital in the capital, for a thorough examination, announced the palace, without further details.
Princess Bajrakitiyabha Mahidol, 44, is the only child from King Maha Vajiralongkorn’s first marriage.
She does not claim her father’s throne under the traditional rules of the Thai monarchy which favor a male successor, but the palace has not announced any heirs so far.
She has an important ceremonial function in Thailand, where the all-powerful royal family enjoys sacred status, to the point of exposing her critics to 15 years in prison, provided by law for the crime of lèse-majesté.
Nicknamed Princess “Bha”, she opted for a career in diplomacy after studying law in the United States, which notably led her to work alongside several United Nations agencies.
She was also Thailand’s ambassador to Austria between 2012 and 2014.
Since February 2021, the princess has held the role of chief in the service of the king’s close protection.