Thailand’s Queen Mother Sirikit, celebrated for bringing glamour and grace to the postwar revival of the Thai monarchy and later known for her occasional involvement in politics, has passed away at the age of 93, the Royal Household Bureau announced on Saturday
Sirikit had been out of the public eye since a stroke in 2012.The palace said she had been hospitalized since 2019 due to several illnesses and developed a bloodstream infection on October 17 before passing away late on Friday.
A mourning period of one year has been declared for members of the royal family and household.
The government said public offices would fly flags at half-mast for a month and asked government officials to observe mourning for one year. Entertainment venues were asked to suspend activities for a month.
Thai Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul cancelled trips to the ASEAN summit in Kuala Lumpur and the APEC summit in South Korea next week due to the Queen Mother’s death. He told reporters he would travel to Malaysia to sign a ceasefire agreement with Cambodia on Sunday but return to Thailand afterwards.
Sirikit’s husband, King Bhumibol Adulyadej, was Thailand’s longest-reigning monarch, with 70 years on the throne since 1946. She was at his side for much of that, winning over hearts at home with their charity work.
When they travelled abroad, she also charmed the world’s media with her beauty and fashion sense.
During a 1960 visit to the United States that included a state dinner at the White House, Time magazine called her “svelte” and “archfeminist.” The French daily L’Aurore described her as “ravishing”.
Born in 1932, the year Thailand transitioned to a constitutional monarchy from an absolute monarchy, Sirikit Kitiyakara was the daughter of Thailand’s ambassador to France and led a life of wealth and privilege.
