In Bangkok, the Bureau of the Royal Household announced that Her Majesty Queen Sirikit, The Queen Mother of Thailand, passed away peacefully at 9:21 p.m. on October 24, 2025, at Chulalongkorn Hospital. She was 93 years old.

Per a press release from the Bureau of the Royal Household:

“According to the medical team providing treatment to Her Majesty Queen Sirikit, the Queen Mother, they requested royal permission for Her Majesty to be admitted to Chulalongkorn Hospital of the Thai Red Cross Society on 7 September 2019 to monitor various health conditions.

During Her Majesty’s stay at Chulalongkorn Hospital, she experienced several periods of illness. The medical team discovered various abnormalities in multiple systems, which required continuous medical care.

On 17 October 2025, Her Majesty Queen Sirikit, the Queen Mother, developed sepsis (a bloodstream infection). Although the medical team provided treatment with the utmost effort, Her Majesty’s condition gradually worsened.

On Friday, 24 October 2025, at 9:21 p.m., Her Majesty passed away peacefully at Chulalongkorn Hospital, Thai Red Cross Society, at the age of 93.

His Majesty the King has issued a Royal Command for the Royal Household Bureau to arrange the funeral rites with the highest honors in accordance with royal tradition. Her Majesty’s body will be enshrined at Dusit Maha Prasat Throne Hall in the Grand Palace.

His Majesty has also graciously ordered members of the Royal Family and officials in the Royal Court to observe a period of mourning for one year, beginning from the date of Her Majesty’s passing.”

Her Majesty Queen Sirikit, The Queen Mother of Thailand, was born Mom Rajawongse Sirikit Kitiyakara on August 12, 1932, in Bangkok. She was the daughter of His Highness Prince Nakkhatra Mangkala, Prince of Chanthaburi II, a senior diplomat who served as the Ambassador of the Kingdom of Thailand to the United Kingdom and later to the French Republic, and Mom Luang Bua Snidvongs.

During her father’s diplomatic postings in Europe, Sirikit was educated in England and France, and briefly attended a finishing school in Lausanne, Switzerland. While living in Paris, where her father was serving as the Ambassador of the Kingdom of Thailand to the French Republic, she met His Majesty King Bhumibol Adulyadej of Thailand, who had acceded to the throne in 1946 following the death of his elder brother, His Majesty King Ananda Mahidol of Thailand, also known as King Rama VIII, but continued his studies in political science and law at the University of Lausanne. The two became engaged in July 1949, while the King was recovering from a car accident in Lausanne.

On April 28, 1950, Sirikit married His Majesty King Bhumibol Adulyadej of Thailand, also known as His Majesty King Rama IX of Thailand, at the Boromarajonani Hall of Sra Pathum Palace in Bangkok. The following week, on May 5, 1950, His Majesty King Bhumibol Adulyadej was crowned in a grand coronation ceremony at the Grand Palace, during which Sirikit was formally invested as Her Majesty Queen Sirikit of Thailand.

The royal couple had four children: Her Royal Highness Princess Ubolratana Rajakanya Sirivadhana Barnavadi of Thailand, born on April 5, 1951, His Royal Highness Crown Prince Vajiralongkorn of Thailand, born on July 28, 1952, now known as His Majesty King Maha Vajiralongkorn Phra Vajiraklaochaoyuhua of Thailand, King Rama X, Her Royal Highness Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn of Thailand, born on April 2, 1955, and Her Royal Highness Princess Chulabhorn Krom Phra Srisavangavadhana of Thailand, born on July 4, 1957.

In 1956, King Bhumibol temporarily entered the Buddhist monkhood at Wat Phra Sri Rattana Satsadaram. This was not unusual in Thai tradition, as it is customary for Thai men, including monarchs, to be ordained as monks for a brief period as an act of merit-making and devotion to Buddhism.

During his two-week ordination at Wat Bowonniwet Vihara, Queen Sirikit was appointed Regent of Thailand, the first woman in modern Thai history to serve in that capacity.

Throughout her life, Queen Sirikit was deeply involved in charitable and cultural work. She served as President of the Thai Red Cross Society from August 12, 1956, and was known for her work supporting rural communities and traditional Thai craftsmanship. In 1976, she established the Foundation for the Promotion of Supplementary Occupations and Related Techniques (SUPPORT) to promote handicrafts, weaving, and sustainable rural livelihoods across Thailand.

Queen Sirikit was widely regarded as a symbol of Thai culture and national identity. Her elegant style and dedication to preserving Thai textiles and traditional arts earned her recognition both at home and abroad.

Following the death of King Bhumibol Adulyadej of Thailand on October 13, 2016, she was thereafter known as Her Majesty Queen Sirikit, The Queen Mother.

Her Majesty Queen Sirikit, The Queen Mother, leaves behind a legacy of compassion, cultural preservation, and dedication to her nation. Her lifelong devotion to the Kingdom of Thailand and its people continues to be deeply felt today.