Thailand Mourns King's Eldest Daughter
Thais are mourning the death of the king's eldest daughter. Commonly known as Princess Bha, she died Thursday aged 47 after years in a coma.
Thailand Mourns Princess
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REPORTER:
Thousands of mourners gathered in Bangkok Saturday to pay their respects to the king’s eldest daughter. Known commonly as Princess Bha, she died Thursday at age 47 after years in a coma.
Donnapha Kadbupha (MOURNER):
I come here because I would like to support my king because of just like a normal, king is a normal people because he has heart. Last year he lost his mother, the ex-queen, and this year he lost his daughter. It's very, very difficult time for him, so I and Thai people would like to say to him that you are not alone and Thai people always stand by you and will support you always.
Princess Bha was a prosecutor and diplomat who at one time was Thailand’s ambassador to Austria. Her mourners lined the roughly ten-kilometer procession route as a royal motorcade carried her remains from the hospital to the Grand Palace. The Thai government has not yet released details about the princess’s funeral, but has ordered flags flown at half-staff for 15 days.
The Thai government has yet to announce details of the funeral, but it has instructed state officials to wear black and ordered that flags be flown at half-mast for 15 days.
Hundreds of black-clad Thai mourners gather at the royal palace in Bangkok on Saturday, awaiting the arrival of the body of the king's eldest daughter a day after her death was announced. Princess Bajrakitiyabha, known as Princess Bha, died aged 47 on Thursday after spending more than three years in a coma due to a cardiac condition.
Donnapha Kladbupha (MOURNER):
I will wait here all day for her body to arrive. When it comes to saying goodbye, it's not easy for us. The monarchy represented unity for Thai people during times of distress.
The body of the Thai king's eldest daughter was brought to the royal palace in Bangkok on Saturday, as thousands of black-clad mourners lined the procession route.
Princess Bajrakitiyabha, known as Princess Bha, died aged 47 on Thursday following an abdominal infection.
She had already spent more than three years in a coma due to a cardiac condition.
Donnapha Kladbupha (MOURNER):
When it comes to saying goodbye, it's not easy for us. The monarchy represented unity for Thai people during times of distress.
Others queued nearby for their turn to perform a Buddhist ritual of pouring holy water into a ceremonial bowl placed before a portrait of the princess.
Nitikan Tephakham (MOURNER):
I'm sad that she passed away, especially when I saw her pictures as a child. When she was sick, I prayed for sacred beings to protect her and hoped for a miracle.
Thousands of mostly older mourners sat in sweltering temperatures along the ten-kilometre route to the Grand Palace from Chulalongkorn Hospital, where the princess had been treated.
Her body arrived at the palace at around 5:00 pm in a solemn and orderly procession.
Police closed roads and traffic ground to a halt in parts of Bangkok's commercial centre as the royal motorcade passed, led by King Maha Vajiralongkorn and Queen Suthida.
Thailand's public broadcaster Thai PBS reported that the princess's body was carried in the same vehicle that had transported the body of her grandfather, King Bhumibol, who died in October 2016.
Pongsanguan Paranan (MOURNER):
I feel sad, very sad, because Her Royal Highness was so beloved by the Thai people, well-known for what she had done and contributed.
Buddhist rites were chanted behind closed doors in the palace after the procession.
Live footage broadcast by a public television station showed monks chanting before the king and queen, who were seated on gilded chairs with a portrait of the princess behind them.
The Thai government has yet to announce details of the funeral, but it has instructed state officials to wear black and ordered that flags be flown at half-mast for 15 days.
The proceedings were carried out under tight security and strict protocol, with attendants wearing formal attire, media access restricted and dozens of police officers standing guard.
Tourists at the palace grounds had to find workarounds.
Maria Marcais (VISITOR):
It's something quite unique that someone can be this much loved. It's profound.
It is the second bereavement for the royal family in months, after Queen Sirikit, the king's mother, died in October at the age of 93.
Bajrakitiyabha was the only child of Vajiralongkorn's marriage to Princess Soamsawali.
A trained prosecutor and diplomat, she was educated in Britain, Thailand and the United States, and served for a time as ambassador to Austria.
The 73-year-old king, who has seven children from four marriages, has not announced his chosen heir, although succession rules favour men.
Strict rules govern what can and cannot be said about the Thai royal family, who are protected from criticism by lese-majeste laws that carry prison sentences of up to 15 years per charge.
