Thailand's former queen Sirikit dies

Thailand's former Queen Sirikit, the mother of the current King Vajiralongkorn and wife of the nation’s longest-reigning monarch, died late Friday at the age of 93, the palace said.

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People hold portraits of Thailand's former Queen Sirikit as they gather in front of Chulalongkorn Hospital, where she passed away, in Bangkok on October 25, 2025.

(AGENCE FRANCE PRESSE)

The royal family is venerated in Thailand, treated by many as semi-divine figures and lavished with glowing media coverage and gold-adorned portraits hanging in public spaces and private homes nationwide.

“It is a great loss to the nation,” said Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul on Saturday, adding that he would delay his departure to a weekend summit of Southeast Asian leaders in Malaysia.

Throughout her 66-year marriage to King Bhumibol Adulyadej, Sirikit carved a dual reputation as a fashionista and the nation’s caring matriarch -- with some Western media featuring her on magazine covers and comparing her to former US first lady Jackie Kennedy.

“I had heard that she had been unwell and, given that she was in her 90s, I knew this day would come,” 53-year-old housekeeper Sasis Putthasit said early Saturday in the capital Bangkok.

“But I didn’t expect it to be today,” Sasis told AFP. “I feel sad because she was a mother figure to the country, and now she’s gone.”