Fears for Princess stuck in three-year coma as she faces grim health battle after developing ‘severe' infection
Princess Bajrakitiyabha Mahidol, the eldest daughter of King Vajiralongkorn, is said to have developed a severe infection.
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The 46-year-old, affectionately known as Princess Bha, collapsed in December, 2022, while training her dogs in Nakhon Ratchasima, northeast of Bangkok.
She has been in a coma ever since.
The Bureau of the Royal Household gave the first update on her condition in more than two years on Friday, saying she had suffered a "severe" blood infection.
The palace said in a following update that a team of doctors were closely monitoring her situation.
It read: "The medical team said that she remains in a state of low blood pressure, requiring continuous treatment.
"Doctors are administering medication to stabilise her blood pressure, along with medical equipment and antibiotics to support kidney function and breathing."
Over the years, some reports have suggested her health condition is far more serious than the palace is letting on.
Princess Bajrakitiyabha was training her dogs at a working dog championship organised by the Thaiarmy when she collapsed.
Paramedics rushed her to a nearby hospital before a helicopter took her to Bangkok's Chulalongkorn health facility.
Bajrakitiyabha is the daughter of the king's first wife, Princess Soamsawali.
She has been part of her father's inner circle since he came to the throne in 2016 and is a senior officer in the king's personal guard.
The fitness enthusiast is widely viewed as the most suitable successor for her father, who turned 70 this year.
She has post-graduate law degrees from two US universities and has long called for prison reforms in Thailand.
She was also the Thai ambassador to Austria between 2012 and 2014.
The 73-year-old king, who has seven children from four marriages, has not announced his chosen heir.
Though succession rules in Thailand favour men.
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