Sunandha Kumariratana, a queen of King Chulalongkorn of Siam (modern day Thailand), died in 1880 after her royal boat capsized. What was tragic and unusual about the death?
Answer: She drowned despite there being many onlookers nearby. This is because they were forbidden to touch the queen, at pain of death, even to save her life.
Source: Worshipping the Great Moderniser by Irene Stengs