Thailand is mourning the death of Queen Mother Sirikit, a royal icon whose grace, philanthropy and influence helped shape the country’s modern monarchy. She passed away at the age of 93, the Thai Royal Household Bureau confirmed on Saturday. Sirikit had been largely absent from public life since suffering a stroke in 2012.
Born in 1932, the year Thailand transitioned from an absolute monarchy to a constitutional one, Sirikit Kitiyakara was the daughter of Thailand’s ambassador to France. She grew up in wealth and privilege, studying music and languages in Paris. It was there that she met her future husband, King Bhumibol Adulyadej, who had spent part of his childhood in Switzerland.
“It was hate at first sight,” she recalled in a BBC documentary, noting that he had arrived late to their first meeting. “Then it was love.” The couple were engaged in 1949 and married a year later when Sirikit was just 17.
As Thailand’s queen consort, she stood beside Bhumibol during his 70-year reign, winning the affection of the nation through their charitable work and high-profile appearances both at home and abroad.
Sirikit was renowned for her elegance and fashion sense. During a 1960 visit to the United States, including a state dinner at the White House, Time magazine described her as “svelte” and “archfeminist,” while the French daily L’Aurore called her “ravishing.” She collaborated with French couturier Pierre Balmain on outfits made from Thai silk, helping revitalise the domestic silk industry and preserve traditional weaving techniques.
Her travels often combined glamour with purpose: for over four decades, she accompanied the king to remote villages, promoting development projects for the rural poor. These visits were televised nightly on Thailand’s Royal Bulletin, reinforcing her image as a compassionate figure.
What role did Sirikit play in Thailand’s politics?
Although the Thai monarchy is officially above politics, Sirikit occasionally exercised influence. In 1956, she served briefly as regent while the king spent two weeks in a temple studying to become a Buddhist monk.
In 1998, she used her birthday address to urge Thais to support Prime Minister Chuan Leekpai, undermining an opposition effort to hold a non-confidence vote. Later, she became associated with the royalist People’s Alliance for Democracy (PAD), whose protests contributed to the fall of governments aligned with former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra.
In 2008, Sirikit attended the funeral of a PAD protestor killed in clashes with police, signalling royal backing for the movement.
Sirikit’s enduring legacy lies in her charitable work and her status as a symbol of maternal virtue. Her birthday, 12 August, became Thailand’s official Mother’s Day in 1976. She is remembered for promoting Thai culture, particularly traditional silk weaving, and for her dedication to the nation’s rural communities.
Sirikit was briefly regent, a global style icon, and a royal figure who navigated both ceremonial and political landscapes with care and influence. In her passing, she leaves behind her son, King Maha Vajiralongkorn, known as Rama X, and three daughters.
While the Thai monarchy does not publicly disclose personal wealth, Sirikit lived a life of considerable privilege, with extensive properties, royal estates, and access to state resources.
Estimates of the Thai royal family’s collective wealth run into billions, reflecting centuries of accumulated assets, though precise figures for Sirikit herself remain undisclosed.
It is worth noting that King Maha Vajiralongkorn of Thailand, with an estimated fortune of $30–$43 billion derived from the Crown Property Bureau, is the richest royal in the world.
How will Thailand’s Queen Mother be remembered?
For many Thais, Queen Mother Sirikit will be remembered as a symbol of grace, compassion and national pride. Her death will be marked with reverence in a country where strict lese-majeste laws make criticism of the monarchy, past or present, a criminal offence.
From a young princess in Paris to a queen who shaped Thailand’s modern monarchy, Sirikit’s life spanned decades of social, cultural and political change, leaving a legacy that continues to influence the nation.
