BANGKOK - Princess Bajrakitiyabha Narendira Debyavati, the eldest child of Thailand’s King, was hospitalised after suffering a heart issue, the royal palace said on Thursday.

The princess, 44, had lost consciousness on Wednesday evening during a military dog training session in the Pak Chong district, located in the north-eastern Nakhon Ratchasima province.

She was treated at a local hospital and later taken via helicopter to Bangkok’s King Chulalongkorn Memorial Hospital after her condition stabilised “at a certain level”, the palace said. It did not give any additional details on her condition.

Well-wishers on Thursday gathered at Chulalongkorn Hospital to offer moral support to the royal family. Later that evening, Thailand’s supreme Buddhist patriarch ordered Thai monks in the kingdom and abroad to offer prayers for the princess twice a day. 

Princess Bajrakitiyabha is the only child from King Maha Vajiralongkorn’s first marriage and is a senior member of the royal family.

She is widely considered to be second in line for the throne, after her 17-year-old half-brother Prince Dipangkorn Rasmijoti. The palace, however, has not formally announced an heir apparent.

The princess has a background in law and international relations, and is also an accomplished diplomat, with international postings to the United Nations and as Thailand’s ambassador to Austria. She is a general and chief of staff in the Royal Security Command of Thailand.

Princess Bajrakitiyabha’s pet dog was to take part in the Thailand Working Dog Championship by Royal Thai Army 2022 being held in Pak Chong.