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Take a look inside kaa. Here's what I have for you today:​

A grey Volkswagen Caravelle T4 with a blue stripe pulled out of Chulalongkorn Hospital in Bangkok.

Inside was Princess Bajrakitiyabha Narendiradebyavati, granddaughter of the late King Bhumibol Adulyadej. The van carried her remains to the Grand Palace, where royal funeral rites will be held.

The van itself has a name. Thai royal staff call it "James Bond."

License plate 1ด-0929. A 2001 Volkswagen Caravelle T4 V6. Long wheelbase. Worth roughly two million baht when it was new, which is unremarkable for a royal vehicle.

The story is what makes it remarkable.

This was King Bhumibol's working van. He drove it himself, often, during royal duties across Thailand. The interior was never upgraded. Original factory radio. Plain factory fabric seats. A small wooden table installed for maps and documents. Nothing else. Royal mechanics kept it running for over two decades.

The nickname came from his staff, who saw the van the way they saw him. Unremarkable on the outside. Far more capable than it looked.

In October 2016, the same van carried King Bhumibol's body from Siriraj Hospital to the Grand Palace.

In October 2025, the same van carried Queen Sirikit, his wife, from Chulalongkorn Hospital to the Grand Palace.

Now, the same van carried their granddaughter.

Three royals. One 25-year-old German van. Same license plate.

A sad tradition involving a german car.

For Thais watching the broadcast, this was not a small detail. The van is a working object that belonged to a king they loved. When it pulls up to a hospital, everyone understands what is happening without anyone needing to explain it.

If you ever find yourself in Bangkok and you spot a grey VW with a blue stripe and the plate 1ด-0929, you'll know what you're looking at. And it’s not a good sign.

Susu!
​- Tim

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