Thailand’s Queen Mother Sirikit has died at the age of 93, the Royal Household Bureau announced on Saturday. She passed away late on Friday following a bloodstream infection that developed earlier this month while she was being treated for long-term illness in Bangkok.
A one year mourning period has been declared for the royal family and household. Government buildings are raising flags at half mast for one month and public officials have been asked to observe the full mourning period.
Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul cancelled his full attendance at the ASEAN Summit in Kuala Lumpur after receiving the news, though he is still expected in Malaysia briefly on Sunday for a meeting with United States President Donald Trump before returning home.
Mourners dressed in black gathered outside Chulalongkorn Hospital on Saturday to pay respects. Among them was 67 year old resident Maneenat Laowalert who said the news had stopped her in her tracks. “My world paused and memories rushed back of all that Her Majesty has done for us,” she said.
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Born Sirikit Kitiyakara in 1932, the same year Thailand shifted from absolute monarchy to a constitutional system, she spent part of her youth abroad as the daughter of Thailand’s ambassador to France. While studying music and languages in Paris, she met King Bhumibol Adulyadej who would become her husband.
For seven decades she stood beside Bhumibol, Thailand’s longest reigning monarch. Together they became widely recognised symbols of continuity throughout decades of political change. Their nightly appearances on the Royal Bulletin drew large nationwide audiences.
For more than forty years, she travelled with the King to remote regions, promoting development projects focused on poverty relief, healthcare and craft industries. The visits helped reinforce the monarchy’s connection with rural Thais.
In 1956 she briefly served as regent while Bhumibol entered a Buddhist temple for monastic study. Her birthday on 12 August became Mother’s Day and remains a national holiday.
Her son King Maha Vajiralongkorn succeeded Bhumibol after his death in 2016. When he was crowned in 2019, Sirikit received the title Queen Mother.
Queen Mother Sirikit is survived by King Vajiralongkorn and her three daughters. Ceremonial arrangements will be communicated in the coming days as the country prepares to honour a woman whose influence shaped both royal tradition and national identity.