Bangkok: Thailand’s Queen Mother Sirikit, revered for her tireless work to uplift rural communities and preserve traditional Thai culture, passed away on Friday at the age of 93, the Royal Household Bureau announced.
The Queen Mother died at a hospital in Bangkok, where she had been receiving long-term care. Officials said she had been battling a blood infection since October 17, and despite the efforts of her medical team, her condition did not improve. She had been largely absent from public life in recent years due to declining health. Her husband, King Bhumibol Adulyadej, Thailand’s longest-reigning monarch, died in October 2016.
Queen Sirikit, born Sirikit Kitiyakara on August 12, 1932, in Bangkok, was the daughter of Prince Nakkhatra Mangkala Kitiyakara and Mom Luang Bua Snidvongs. Educated in Thailand and later in France, she met King Bhumibol in Paris when she was 16. Their bond grew after the young king was injured in a car accident, and the two married in 1950, shortly before his coronation. Together, they vowed to reign “with righteousness for the benefit and happiness of the Siamese people.”
The royal couple had four children: King Maha Vajiralongkorn, Princess Ubolratana, Princess Sirindhorn, and Princess Chulabhorn. In their early years together, the king and queen traveled widely as goodwill ambassadors, strengthening Thailand’s international ties.
From the 1970s onward, Queen Sirikit focused her energy on Thailand’s domestic challenges- rural poverty, deforestation, and social inequality. She founded the SUPPORT Foundation in 1976 to help villagers earn a sustainable income through traditional crafts such as silk-weaving, jewelry-making, ceramics, and painting. Her efforts not only revived endangered crafts but also empowered thousands of rural women across the country.
Often called Thailand’s ‘Green Queen,’ she also launched numerous environmental projects, including wildlife breeding programs and forest preservation campaigns. Her ‘Forest Loves Water’ initiative encouraged sustainable land use, while her ‘Little House in the Forest’ project promoted forest conservation as a means of protecting rural livelihoods.
Despite occasional controversies and political turbulence in later decades, Queen Sirikit remained deeply respected by many Thais, especially in rural communities. Her portrait adorned homes, offices, and schools across the nation, and her birthday, August 12, is celebrated as Mother’s Day in Thailand.
A symbol of grace and compassion, Queen Sirikit bridged Thailand’s traditions with modern aspirations. As she once said in a 1979 interview, “People in rural Thailand say they are neglected, and we try to fill that gap by staying with them in remote areas.”
