BANGKOK — The Bureau of the Royal Household announced Friday night that Her Majesty Queen Sirikit The Queen Mother passed away peacefully at King Chulalongkorn Memorial Hospital at 9.21 p.m. on October 24, 2025. She was 93 years old.
The announcement stated: “Her Majesty Queen Sirikit The Queen Mother had been residing at King Chulalongkorn Memorial Hospital, Thai Red Cross Society, since September 7, 2019. The medical team was monitoring various bodily systems.
During her stay, Her Majesty fell ill several times as doctors discovered abnormalities requiring continuous treatment.
Since October 17, 2025, Her Majesty Queen Sirikit The Queen Mother fell ill from sepsis (bloodstream infection). Although the medical team provided treatment to the best of their ability, Her condition gradually deteriorated.
On Friday, October 24, 2025, at 21:21 hours, She passed away peacefully at King Chulalongkorn Memorial Hospital, Thai Red Cross Society, at the age of 93.
His Majesty the King has issued a Royal Command for the Bureau of the Royal Household to arrange the Royal Funeral with the highest honors according to royal tradition. The Royal Body will lie in state at the Dusit Maha Prasat Throne Hall in the Grand Palace. His Majesty has graciously granted permission for members of the Royal Family and royal servants to observe mourning for a period of one year from the date of passing.”
A Life of Service and Dedication
Her Majesty Queen Sirikit was born on Friday, August 12, 1932, in Bangkok, just months after Thailand transitioned from absolute monarchy to constitutional democracy. She was the eldest daughter of Prince Nakkhatra Mangala Kitiyakara and Mom Luang Bua Kitiyakara. Her name “Sirikit,” meaning “Glory of Kitiyakara,” was bestowed by Queen Rambhai Barni, consort of King Rama VII.
Her early education began at Rajini School in 1936, but when World War II reached Thailand and Bangkok faced frequent air raids, she transferred to St. Francis Xavier Convent School on Samsen Road in 1940. There she studied piano and harbored dreams of becoming a renowned concert pianist.
After the war ended in 1946, her father was appointed Ambassador to the United Kingdom, and the family relocated to London. She had just completed her third year of secondary school at St. Francis Xavier Convent. In England, she continued studying piano, English, and French with private tutors, preparing to audition for the prestigious Paris Conservatory.
Royal Romance
In 1948, King Bhumibol Adulyadej, then visiting automobile factories in Paris, became acquainted with her family. When the King was injured in a car accident in Switzerland and hospitalized, Mom Luang Bua regularly brought her daughters, Mom Rajawongse Sirikit and Mom Rajawongse Busba, to visit him during his recovery.
A year later, Queen Mother Sangwan requested Mom Rajawongse Sirikit’s hand in marriage on behalf of the King. A private engagement ceremony was held on July 19, 1949. She continued her studies until returning to Thailand for the cremation of King Ananda Mahidol (Rama VIII) in March 1950.
On April 28, 1950, the royal wedding ceremony took place at Srapathum Palace. King Rama IX elevated Mom Rajawongse Sirikit to Queen Sirikit. On May 5 of that year, during the King’s coronation ceremony, she was further elevated to Her Majesty Queen Sirikit.
The Royal Family
Their Majesties had four children: Princess Ubolratana, born in Lausanne, Switzerland; Crown Prince Maha Vajiralongkorn, now His Majesty King Rama X; Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn; and Princess Chulabhorn Walailak.
In 1956, when King Bhumibol entered the Buddhist monkhood following ancient royal tradition, Queen Sirikit served as Regent in his absence. Upon his return, he elevated her title to Queen Sirikit The Queen Consort, meaning “refuge of the people.” She became only the second Queen Consort in Thai history to hold this title, after Queen Sri Bajarindra during the reign of King Rama V, who served as regent when that monarch visited Europe.
Legacy of Royal Projects
Throughout her life, Her Majesty carried out numerous royal duties both as Queen Consort of Thailand and as companion to King Rama IX, shouldering countless responsibilities and initiating new projects to help the Thai people and develop the nation.
Her royal projects have brought immense benefits to Thai citizens to this day, including forest conservation initiatives—about which she once said, “His Majesty is the water, I am the forest”—cultural preservation programs focusing on Thai silk and classical khon dance, and numerous other endeavors that transformed the lives of millions of Thais.
In 1976, the Thai government honored the Queen by declaring her birthday a national holiday. Her birthday continues to be celebrated on August 12 each year as a day of national significance.
Thailand now mourns the loss of a beloved Queen Mother who dedicated her life to serving the Thai people for more than seven decades.
