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- By Supratik Das
- Sat, 25 Oct 2025 03:39 PM (IST)
- Source:JND
Thailand Queen Sirikit dies:Thailand is grieving the passing away of Queen Mother Sirikit, the Thai royal family's matriarch and one of the nation's most revered figures. The Royal Household Bureau made the announcement on Friday that the Queen Mother died at the age of 93 from complications arising from a blood infection at Bangkok's Chulalongkorn Hospital.
Respected as the "Mother of the Nation", Queen Sirikit was the wife of Thailand's longest-reigning king, the late King Bhumibol Adulyadej, and mother of the current King Maha Vajiralongkorn. Her birthday on August 12 has been celebrated across the country as Mother's Day since 1976, a testament to her symbolic status as the mother of the nation.
From Aristocrat To Queen
Born Sirikit Kitiyakara in Bangkok in 1932 to an aristocratic family, she was the daughter of a Thai diplomat and spent some of her early years in Europe. She met her future husband, then Prince Bhumibol, who was studying in Switzerland, in Paris. Their romance developed after the young prince had been hurt in a car crash, and Sirikit nursed him back to health.
They were wed in 1950, just ahead of King Bhumibol's coronation. As queen, she became a constant companion during his 70-year reign, making frequent tours throughout Thailand to assist with rural development, indigenous crafts, and environmental preservation.
For her style and elegance, Queen Sirikit was invariably likened to Jacqueline Kennedy. Together with French fashion designer Pierre Balmain, she designed resplendent garments made of Thai silk, which helped restore the country's silk manufacturing and introduced its craftsmanship to the world. Her beauty charmed global audiences on state visits in the 1960s, when she socialized with global leaders and celebrities such as US presidents and Elvis Presley. She was revered at home for her humanity, regularly visiting out-of-the-way villages and hearing the issues of local citizens.
Queen Sirikit dedicated much of her time to social and cultural causes. She founded the SUPPORT Foundation in 1976 to offer vocational training for rural villages, enabling thousands of artisans to continue traditional crafts like weaving, jewelry-making, and ceramics.
Her efforts on behalf of the environment earned her the reputation as "The Green Queen," as she headed ventures to preserve wildlife, reforest the land, and develop sustainable agriculture.
A Legacy of Devotion
Although she largely withdrew from public life after suffering a stroke in 2012, Queen Sirikit remained an enduring symbol of maternal love and royal dignity. Her passing marks the end of an era for many Thais who grew up seeing her as the heart of the nation.
The palace said her body will be kept in state at Dusit Thorne Hall of the Grand Palace, and the government declared a year-long mourning period. A 30-day half-mast flying of flags has also been ordered, and the people have been requested to wear black as a sign of respect. Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul postponed his planned visit to Malaysia for the ASEAN Summit upon learning of her death.
To the millions in Thailand, Queen Mother Sirikit will be more than a royal figure, remembered instead as a humane mother devoted to the people, a queen whose graciousness, charity, and unstinting strength defined the heart of contemporary Thailand.