Thailand’s Queen Mother Sirikit passes away at age of 93

BANGKOK: Former Queen of Thailand, Sirikit, has passed away at the age of 93 due to illness, the government’s Public Relations Department of the Office of the Prime Minister announced on Saturday.

Former Queen Sirikit had been ill with a blood infection. The PRD said, “Despite the medical team’s best efforts, her condition gradually worsened until Friday, October 24, 2025, at 9.21 pm, when she passed away peacefully at Chulalongkorn Hospital, Thai Red Cross Society, at the age of 93”.

The Bureau of the Royal Household Announces the Passing of Her Majesty Queen Sirikit The Queen Mother at the Age of 93 pic.twitter.com/1xmOH195qS

— PR Thai Government (@prdthailand) October 24, 2025

Sirikit Kitiyakara was born on August 12, 1932. Her birthday is celebrated as Mother’s Day in Thailand and is a national holiday. Married to King Bhumibol at the age of 18, who was later crowned as Rama IX of the Chakri Dynasty, she was widely believed to be the world’s longest-serving queen consort.

King Bhumibol was the world’s longest serving head of state who passed away in 2016 and was succeeded by the couple’s son, King Maha Vajiralongkorn, the New York Times reported.

It further noted that the Queen had rarely appeared in public since she had a debilitating stroke in 2012. She worked to support Buddhist groups and organisations in southern Thailand, promoted Thai handicrafts and had established the Support Foundation to help rural women produce and market their products, such as woven goods.

Queen Sirikit also visited hundreds of development projects fostered by her husband. Known for her elegance and sense of fashion, she topped the International Best-Dressed List — a prestigious annual ranking of the world’s most stylish figures — four times in the 1960s, the New York Times reported.

It further noted that although Thailand’s constitutional monarchy has no direct political power, it wields enormous influence. Queen Sirikit is survived by her three daughters, a son and sister Busba Kitiyakara Sathanapong. (ANI)