BANGKOK, Thailand: Thailand’s Queen Mother Sirikit, a fashion icon who for decades symbolised continuity and charity in the kingdom, has died aged 93, the Royal Household Bureau said on Saturday.
The palace said Sirikit had been hospitalised since 2019 and developed a bloodstream infection on 17 October before passing away late on Friday.
One-year national mourning declared
The royal household announced a year-long mourning period for members of the royal family and household.
The government ordered flags at public offices to be flown at half-mast for 30 days and asked entertainment venues to suspend activities for a month.
Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul cancelled planned trips to the ASEAN summit in Kuala Lumpur and the APEC meeting in South Korea, and the cabinet said it would meet to discuss funeral arrangements.
Life of public service, style and soft power
Born in 1932, Sirikit married King Bhumibol Adulyadej in 1950 and was at his side during his 70-year reign.
Admired at home and overseas for her elegance, she worked to promote Thai culture — notably revitalising the country’s silk industry by supporting traditional weaving — and championed rural development projects that were widely televised.
She had been largely out of the public eye since suffering a stroke in 2012.
Public reaction and ceremonies
Mourners gathered outside King Chulalongkorn Memorial Hospital and elsewhere in Bangkok on Saturday, many dressed in black.
Thai media anchors appeared on air in black as the nation absorbed the loss. The palace said Sirikit’s body will lie in state at the Grand Palace’s Dusit Thorne Hall, and official funeral rites will follow customary royal protocols.
International messages and regional condolences
Messages of sympathy poured in from around the world. Pakistan’s President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif offered condolences to King Maha Vajiralongkorn and the Thai people, saying they stood with Thailand in its grief.
President Asif Ali Zardari expressed “deep sorrow” at the former queen’s passing and conveyed his condolences to King Maha Vajiralongkorn, the royal family, and the people of Thailand.
President Asif Ali Zardari has expressed deep sorrow over the passing of Her Majesty Queen Sirikit, the revered Queen Mother of Thailand, and conveyed heartfelt condolences to His Majesty King Maha Vajiralongkorn, the Royal Family, and the people of Thailand.
— The President of Pakistan (@PresOfPakistan) October 25, 2025
Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said he was deeply saddened at Sirikit’s passing.
“The people and government of Pakistan join me in extending our deepest condolences to His Majesty King Maha Vajiralongkorn, the royal family, and the people of Thailand. Our thoughts and prayers are with them at this time of national grief,” he said.
Deeply saddened at the passing of Her Majesty Queen Sirikit, the beloved Queen Mother of Thailand. The people and Government of Pakistan join me in extending our deepest condolences to His Majesty King Maha Vajiralongkorn, the Royal Family, and the people of Thailand. Our…
— Shehbaz Sharif (@CMShehbaz) October 25, 2025
Sirikit’s husband, King Bhumibol, remains widely revered in Thailand for his long reign (1946–2016). Sirikit earned the popular title “Mother of the Nation”; her birthday, 12 August, is observed as Thailand’s Mother’s Day.
Her death closes a chapter in modern Thai history that blended royal glamour with active patronage of social and cultural projects.
