King Thibaw died a sad and lonely death in 1916, at the age of 58. It was the heartbreak over the loss of his kingdom and the strains of his exile, that took him to an early grave. He was buried in a small grave in Ratnagiri, next to the Christian cemetery. After his death, his wife Queen Supayalat and other family members returned to Burma in 1919, while his daughter who had married a local palace retainer chose to stay back. Soon after, the palace was converted into British offices and later served as a government polytechnic.

For the longest time, the Military junta of Burma (Now Myanmar) did not wish to acknowledge their former king. It was only in 2012, after the democratic rule in Burma was restored , that President Thein Sein of Myanmar visited Ratnagiri to pay his respects at King Thibaw’s grave.

The Thibaw’s palace is currently under renovation and will be converted into a museum soon.