The eldest daughter of King Vajiralongkorn, Princess Bajrakitiyabha, collapsed while training her dogs north-east of Bangkok, according to the palace.
The 44-year-old princess was taken to a neighbouring hospital before being flown by helicopter to Bangkok, where she is receiving treatment.
Her condition was described as “stable to an extent” by the palace last night.
According to the BBC’s Jonathan Head in Bangkok, medical briefings from Thailand’s royal palace are often imprecise and cryptic, and from the one statement made regarding Princess Bajrakitiyabha, it is difficult to determine how bad her health is.
The statement mentions nothing about her current health situation. According to several sources, the situation is a lot more serious than claimed.
The princess is the daughter of the king’s first wife Princess Soamsawali, and his eldest child. She has been a member of her father’s inner circle since he took over as King Bhumibol in 2016, and she has been promoted to senior officer in the king’s personal guard.
She is the most visible member of the inner royal circle, she did her post-graduate degrees in law from two US colleges.
The throne has yet to be named by King Vajiralongkorn, although Princess Bajrakitiyabha is largely regarded as the most acceptable successor.
She is eligible for the throne under a 1924 Palace Law of Succession because she is one of the king’s three offspring with formal titles.
She enjoys working out and has a lengthy history of fighting for criminal reform in Thailand.
She is notably active in support of female convicts, of which Thailand has one of the highest concentrations in the world.
From 2012 until 2014, she served as Thailand’s ambassador to Austria.
