Queen Sirikit of Thailand; Credit – Wikipedia
Queen Sirikit, the widow of King Bhumibol Adulyadej of Thailand, died on October 24, 2025, at the age of 93, at King Chulalongkorn Memorial Hospital in Bangkok, Thailand. She began suffering from a blood infection on October 17, 2025, and despite her medical team’s efforts, her condition did not improve. Her son, King Maha Vajiralongkorn of Thailand, directed that she be given a funeral with the highest honors and instructed members of the royal family and royal servants to observe mourning for one year.
Sirikit Kitiyakara was born on August 12, 1932, in Bangkok, Siam, now called Thailand. She was the third of the four children of Prince Nakkhatra Mangkala Kitiyakara and Bua Snidvongs. Queen Sirikit’s paternal grandfather, Prince Kitiyakara Voralaksana, was the twelfth son of King Chulalongkorn of Thailand.
During his university days, King Bhumibol Adulyadej frequently visited Paris, and it was there that he met his future wife, Sirikit. Both Sirikit and King Bhumibol Adulyadej were studying at the Thai embassy, and a relationship developed. The couple became engaged on July 19, 1949, and married at Srapathum Palace in Bangkok, Thailand, on April 28, 1950, just a week before the king’s coronation. After the coronation on May 5, 1950, the 22-year-old king and the 17-year-old queen returned to their studies in Lausanne, Switzerland. The couple had one son, King Maha Vajiralongkorn of Thailand, and three daughters.
Queen Sirikit was well known for her charitable work. She was the President of the Thai Red Cross Society and was actively involved in relief work for the numerous refugees from Cambodia and Burma in Thailand. The Queen took an active role in the aftermath of the tsunami disaster in southern Thailand in December 2004. Tragically, the tsunami took the life of her grandson Bhumi Jensen, the son of her eldest daughter.
King Bhumibol Adulyadej’s health declined in his later years. The king resided at Siriraj Hospital in Bangkok for several years. On July 21, 2012, Queen Sirikit felt unsteady and staggered while exercising at Siriraj Hospital, where King Bhumibol Adulyadej resided. Doctors determined that she had suffered a stroke. The Queen was not seen in public until August 2013 when the King was discharged from the hospital. After that, Queen Sirikit refrained from making public appearances. King Bhumibol Adulyadej died on October 13, 2016, at Siriraj Hospital in Bangkok, at the age of 88, following several years of illness.
Read more about the royal family of Thailand at Unofficial Royalty; Kingdom of Thailand Index.
