Mystery as Thai King’s daughter Princess Bajrakitiyabha collapses after ‘sudden heart condition while jogging with dogs’

THE daughter of the King of Thailand has been rushed to hospital after collapsing from a heart condition while walking her dogs.

Princess Bajrakitiyabha, 44, the eldest daughter of King Vajiralongkorn, was airlifted to hospital in the Thai capital Bangkok on Wednesday night.

The palace described her condition yesterday as "stable to a certain extent".

Some reports have suggested her condition is far more serious than the palace is letting on.

She was reportedly training her dogs at a working dog championship organised by the army in northeastern Nakhon Ratchasima province when she collapsed.

Paramedics rushed her to a nearby hospital before a helicopter took her to Bangkok's Chulalongkorn health facility.

She is still undergoing treatment and is undergoing regular check-ups, the palace said in a statement on Thursday.

The fitness enthusiast is widely viewed as the most suitable successor for her father, who turned 70 this year.

Medical announcements from Thailand's Royal Family are typically vague and cryptic, making it hard to know how serious her condition is, according to the BBC's Jonathan Head in Bangkok.

The Thai Red Cross Society has opened a station for people to sign "blessings" for the princess's recovery.

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 princess has post-graduate law degrees from two US universities and has long called for prison reform in Thailand.

She was also the Thai ambassador to Austria between 2012 and 2014.

The Thai king has yet to formally designate his heir.