Queen Sirikit of Thailand dies aged 93 – following 8-year absence from the spotlight

Queen Sirikit, the mother of Thailand’s King Vajiralongkorn, has died aged 93. The Queen Mother passed away “peacefully” in a Bangkok hospital at 21.21pm local time on Friday, the Thai Royal Household Bureau has announced. The royal had been hospitalised since 2019 after suffering “several illnesses”, most recently contracting a blood infection this October, and hadn’t been seen in public for almost a decade. She is survived by her son and three daughters.

An official statement from the palace was issued to HELLO!, revealing: “The body of Her Majesty Queen SiriKit, the Queen Mother, will be placed in lying-in-state tomorrow at 4 pm Thai time to Dusit Maha Prasat Throne Hall in the Grand Palace, where members of the Royal Family and government officials pay their respects.” The Thai Palace further revealed that the date of the royal cremation ceremony would shortly be announced by Royal Household. A religious ceremony will be held in 2026 to mark the first anniversary of the passing of Her Majesty Queen SiriKit, as the royal family and household members embark upon a year of mourning.

Sirikit’s late husband, King Bhumibol Adulyadej, spent 70 years on the throne before his death aged 88 in 2016, making him Thailand’s longest-reigning monarch. His son, King Vajiralongkorn, was crowned on May 4, 2019, at a multi-day coronation ceremony in Bangkok, more than two years later, following a period of mourning. After suffering a stroke in 2012, Queen Sirikit was rarely seen in public. Her last appearance came in 2017 when she attended her husband’s funeral. 

© Getty Images

Queen Sirikit’s reign

Known as a style icon in her youth, the royal was celebrated for her flair for fashion and colourful ensembles. Sirikit memorably teamed up with French designer Pierre Balmain on outfits made from Thai silk and was celebrated for helping revitalise Thailand’s silk industry.

She will also be remembered for her charity work through the SUPPORT Foundation, which trained thousands of poor citizens in traditional handicrafts like Thai silk weaving to provide supplementary income and preserve cultural heritage. She also made significant contributions to public health via the Thai Red Cross and the Queen Sirikit Centre for Breast Cancer, as well as environmental conservation by initiating reforestation and wildlife protection.

© Gamma-Rapho via Getty Images

© Getty Images

Sirikit wed her husband, the future King Bhumibol, after meeting in Paris aged just 17 while her father was working as the Thai ambassador to France. The couple married on 28 April 1950, and King Bhumibol ascended to the throne a week later.

The former monarch spoke to the BBC in a rare 1980 interview in which she detailed Thailand’s relationship with the royal family. She said: “Kings and queens of Thailand have always been in close contact with the people and they usually regard the king as the father of the nation. That is why we do not have much private life, because we are considered father and mother of the nation.”

Thailand’s lese-majeste law is among the strictest in the world and forbids the insult of the monarchy. Article 112 of Thailand’s criminal code details that anyone who “defames, insults or threatens the king, the queen, the heir-apparent or the regent” is punishable with a jail term between three and 15 years.