BANGKOK — 12 June 2026, A long-time supporter of Princess Bajrakitiyabha arrived at Chulalongkorn Hospital in tears on Friday, saying she was struggling to accept the loss of a royal figure she had admired for decades.
Donlathon, 57, appeared visibly distressed as she arrived at the hospital, crying from the moment she stepped onto the grounds before embracing a friend who had already been waiting there.
Speaking through tears, she said she had planned to join friends at the site the previous night but had been unable to travel because of ongoing health problems.
Her friend, Chorn, 62, who said the pair had known each other through years of attending royal engagements involving Princess Bajrakitiyabha, said Donlathon had been recovering from allergies and asthma and had spent about two months receiving treatment.
“When I heard the news about Princess Bajrakitiyabha, I called her immediately,” Chorn said. “At first she wasn’t sure whether she could come because her health was still poor, but in the end she decided to make the journey.”
Donlathon recalled what she described as her most treasured memory of the princess, dating back to a time when Princess Bajrakitiyabha and Prince Dipangkorn were still young.
She said she had been sitting beside a pavement with only a piece of tissue paper in her possession. Concerned that the ground might be dirty, she placed the tissue on the path for the young royals to step on.
Instead, she said, they stopped and turned back before sitting down near her.
“The princess told me, ‘We will encourage one another,’ and said she often saw me waiting to greet her and remembered my face,” Donlathon said.
She said the encounter, together with what she described as the princess’s kindness and concern for ordinary people, remained unforgettable.
“I would willingly give my life for Her Royal Highness if it were possible. I’m just an ordinary citizen and my life is not especially important, but there are so many Thai people who love her,” she said.
“I tried to prepare myself, but when the day finally came, when she was truly gone, I still couldn’t accept it. It feels as though part of my heart has disappeared,” she said.
She said she had continued to hope for a miracle and had wished to see the princess recover, but that hope never materialised.
For her, she added, Princess Bajrakitiyabha represented the heart of the Thai people, regardless of background or social standing.
Asked what she would say if she had one final opportunity to speak to the princess, Donthorn paused before saying she could not put her feelings into words.
“She has taken my heart with her, and the hearts of many others. That is why I still cannot accept this loss,” she said.
Donthorn said the princess had been a source of hope and inspiration for many people, making it understandable that some continued to wait for a miracle and wished for her return.
Earlier on Friday, she posted a video on TikTok expressing her grief. Reading the responses from other users, she said, reinforced her belief that many people were still struggling to come to terms with the loss.
