In brief
Queen Sirikit, the mother of Thailand's King Vajiralongkorn and wife of the late King Bhumibol Adulyadej, has died aged 93. She passed peacefully after suffering from several health issues. Her contributions to the monarchy and her cultural impact were significant during her reign, leading to a planned royal funeral and a year of mourning for the royal family.
Queen Sirikit, the mother of Thailand's King Vajiralongkorn, has died aged 93.
She passed away peacefully in a Bangkok hospital at 21:21 local time (14:21 GMT) on Friday, according to the Thai Royal Household Bureau.
Sirikit had suffered several illnesses while in hospital since 2019, including a blood infection this month, it added.
For more than six decades, Queen Sirikit was married to Thailand's longest-reigning monarch, King Bhumibol Adulyadej, who died in 2016. In their globe-trotting heyday, she was seen as a style icon.
King Vajiralongkorn has ordered that the Thai Royal Household Bureau organise a royal funeral. Queen Sirikit's body will lie in state at the Grand Palace's Dusit Thorne Hall in Bangkok, with a year of mourning observed by royal family members.
Queen Sirikit met her future husband while studying music in Paris, and they married on 28 April 1950. As a young couple in the 1960s, they were recognized for their elegance and had the opportunity to meet numerous global leaders and celebrities.
She was viewed as a key maternal figure for her nation, with her birthday, August 12, celebrated as Mother's Day since 1976.
Despite suffering a stroke in 2012, her legacy as a symbol of grace and dignity endures in Thailand.
