Thailand’s Queen Mother Sirikit, renowned for her elegance, dedication to the monarchy, and efforts to support rural communities and environmental projects, has passed away.
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The Royal Household Bureau announced she died Friday at a Bangkok hospital. She had developed a blood infection on Oct. 17, and her condition failed to improve despite her medical team’s efforts, according to CNN.
Sirikit was 93.
She had largely withdrawn from public life in recent years due to declining health. Her husband, King Bhumibol Adulyadej, passed away in October 2016.
The royal family and household will observe a period of one year in mourning. Public offices will fly flags at half-mast for one month, and government officials are asked to mourn for one year.
Thai Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul canceled his trip to the ASEAN summit in Kuala Lumpur following the Queen Mother’s death. He will still travel to Malaysia on Sunday to sign a cease-fire agreement with Cambodia, then return to Thailand.
Sirikit Married King Bhumibol Adulyadej in 1950
Sirikit was at the side of her husband, King Bhumibol Adulyadej, for much of his 70-year reign, Thailand’s longest. They won hearts at home with charity work. Abroad, she charmed the media with her beauty and fashion sense.
Per the New York Post, during a 1960 visit to the United States, Time magazine called her “svelte” and “archfeminist.” The French daily L’Aurore described her as “ravishing.”
Born in 1932, the same year Thailand became a constitutional monarchy, Sirikit Kitiyakara was the daughter of Thailand’s ambassador to France. She met Bhumibol in Paris while studying music and language; he had spent part of his childhood in Switzerland.
They spent time in Paris and got engaged in 1949. A year later, at 17, she married him in Thailand.
Sirikit collaborated with French designer Pierre Balmain, creating outfits from Thai silk. She supported traditional weaving practices, which helped revitalize Thailand’s silk industry.
For over four decades, she traveled with the king to remote Thai villages to promote development projects for the rural poor, with their activities televised nightly. She served as regent in 1956 when her husband briefly became a Buddhist monk.
In 1976, her birthday, August 12, was declared Mother’s Day and a national holiday in Thailand. After King Bhumibol died in 2016, her son, King Maha Vajiralongkorn (Rama X), succeeded him. Upon his 2019 coronation, Sirikit’s formal title became the Queen Mother.
Mourners Have Gathered Outside the Hospital Where Queen Mother Sirikit Passed Away
Meanwhile, the government requested the private sector adjust festive events to align with the national mourning period.
K-pop group Blackpink, featuring one Thai member, will proceed with their scheduled concerts this weekend. Organizers have requested attendees to wear black and white as a sign of respect.
On Saturday, mourners in black gathered outside Chulalongkorn Hospital, where Sirikit had passed away.
Sirikit is survived by her son, the King, and three daughters.