Thailand Mourns the Loss of Former Queen Sirikit at Age 93

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. 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. Thai royal family members will observe a year of mourning.

Queen Sirikit met her future husband, King Bhumibol, while studying music in Paris, where her father was stationed as the Thai ambassador. The couple married on 28 April 1950, just a week before King Bhumibol was crowned.

Queen Sirikit was regarded as a key maternal figure in Thailand, as her birthday, 12 August, has been celebrated as Mother's Day since 1976. Her contribution to the monarchy and the public's perception of it is significant, having portrayed the connection between the monarchy and the people throughout her life.

She is survived by her son and three daughters, leaving behind a legacy that will be remembered by the Thai people.