Thailand’s Former Queen Sirikit Dies Aged 93

Thailand’s former Queen Sirikit, the mother of the current King Vajiralongkorn and wife of the nation’s longest-reigning monarch, died late Friday at the age of 93, the palace said.

The royal family is venerated in Thailand, treated by many as semi-divine figures, and lavished with glowing media coverage and gold-adorned portraits hanging in public spaces and private homes nationwide.

“It is a great loss to the nation,” said Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul on Saturday, adding that he would delay his departure to a weekend summit of Southeast Asian leaders in Malaysia.

Throughout her 66-year marriage to King Bhumibol Adulyadej, Sirikit carved a dual reputation as a fashionista and the nation’s caring matriarch with some Western media featuring her on magazine covers and comparing her to former US first lady Jackie Kennedy.

“I had heard that she had been unwell and, given that she was in her 90s, I knew this day would come,” 53-year-old housekeeper Sasis Putthasit said early Saturday in the capital, Bangkok.

“But I didn’t expect it to be today,” Sasis told AFP. “I feel sad because she was a mother figure to the country, and now she’s gone.”

Sirikit had “suffered several illnesses” while hospitalised since 2019, including a blood infection this month, the palace said in a statement.

“Her majesty’s condition worsened until Friday and she passed away… at Chulalongkorn hospital at age 93,” it added.

King Vajiralongkorn has assigned members of the royal family to begin a year-long mourning period, the palace said.

From early Saturday, Thai news anchors were seen wearing black during broadcasts, a sign of public mourning.

Her passing “marks a profoundly significant event for the Thai Royal Family and the entire nation, given her immense popularity and deep connection to the late king who remains deeply revered”, Pavin Chachavalpongpun, a former Thai diplomat and academic who studies the monarchy, told AFP.