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Thailand prays for Princess Bajrakitiyabha who collapsed with heart problem

Palace sources said her condition was stable but there has been no further update

File image of Thailand's Princess Bajrakitiyabha greeting royalists at The Grand Palace in Bangkok last year | Reuters

Thailand on Friday offered prayers for the quick recovery of the 44-year-old princess Bajrakitiyabha, the eldest child of King Maha Vajiralongkorn, who collapsed earlier in the week with a heart condition.

The palace sources said on Thursday that her condition has stabilised at a certain level but there was no further official update on her condition since then, reported Reuters. However, there are speculations that her condition is more serious than stated. 

The princess, who collapsed while training her pet dogs, was immediately airlifted by a helicopter to Pak Chong Nana Hospital, where medics administered first aid. Once her condition stabilised, she was airlifted to King Chulalongkorn, reports from Thailand said. 

Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha and many senior officials, politicians and religious leaders visited the Chulalongkorn hospital to lay orange flowers, the colour associated with the princess, and sign a book of well-wishes.

Thailand's Buddhist Supreme Patriarch, Somdet Phra Ariyavangsagatayana too requested all Thai temples at home and abroad to conduct special daily chanting sessions for the princess.

Princess Bajrakitiyabha is the king's eldest child from his first wife Princess Soamsawali. She has been a constant presence in the palace's innermost circle and was recently made a senior officer in the king's personal guard.

Though king Vajiralongkorn has not officially named the heir to the throne yet, many view the princess as a worthy successor. She is also eligible to ascend the throne under a 1924 Palace Law of Succession being one of the king's three children who have formal titles.

Princess Bajrakitiyabha, who has post-graduate degrees in law from two US universities, is said to be a health and fitness freak and an advocate  for penal reforms in Thailand. A feminist, the princess was named Thailand's ambassador to Austria from 2012 to 2014.

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