Sirikit Kitiyakara, Queen Mother of Thailand and wife of King Bhumibol Adulyadej (Rama IX). She was born in 1932 into an aristocratic family that combined 3 royal branches and died in 2025. She was educated in France and specialized in music and languages.
She married King Bhumibol in 1950, and accompanied him throughout his long reign, which lasted 70 years. She was known for her prominent role in developing rural society, empowering women, supporting traditional arts, and protecting the environment. She also had an influential role in the social, political, and cultural life of Thailand.
When she was born, Queen Rambhai Parni, wife of King Pragadhipok (Rama VII), gave her the name Sirikit, which means “glory of the Kitiyakara family” or “celebrated and acclaimed for goodness and blessings.”
Birth and upbringing
Sirikit Kitiyakara was born into a wealthy aristocratic family on August 12, 1932, the year Thailand transitioned from an absolute monarchy to a constitutional monarchy.
Her father, General Prince Cromaon Chanthaburi Suranath, was the Thai ambassador to France, and she grew up in a luxurious and privileged environment.
The Queen Mother was born into a family that combines 3 interconnected royal branches on her father’s and mother’s sides.
On her father’s side, she comes from the “Kitiyakara” family, which was founded by Prince Kitiyakara Woralak, son of King Rama V, and husband of Princess Absornisman Devakul, who is the granddaughter of King Rama IV, known as the “Father of Foreign Affairs.”
On her mother’s side, she belongs to the Sanitong family with a scientific and medical heritage, which was founded by Prince Noam, son of King Rama II. He was a prominent doctor and scientist who participated in signing the Boring Treaty with England, and was honored by UNESCO in 2008 as one of the international figures in philosophy and poetry.
The Sanitong family continued to perform the functions of royal physicians for 5 successive generations.
When she was born, her grandparents took care of her until her father resigned from military service and moved to work in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. He was appointed first secretary at the Siamese embassy in Washington after the change of regime in 1932, and then her mother joined him.
After World War II and the change of the country’s name from Siam to Thailand, her father was appointed ambassador to the United Kingdom, and the family accompanied him to London in 1946. Sirikit was 13 years old at the time, after completing her studies at St. Francis School.
Sirikit accompanied her father on diplomatic missions, as he was appointed ambassador to the Court of St. James, the United Kingdom, Denmark, and France, respectively.
Study and scientific training
In 1936, she joined the “Ragini” kindergarten school, then continued her primary and secondary education at the St. Francis Xavier Convent School on Samsen Street, after the outbreak of the Great East Asian War in 1940 and the difficulty of movement in the country.
She chose to study English, French, and piano as majors, as she dreamed of becoming a professional pianist.
Her marriage to King Bhumibol
While studying music and languages in Paris, Sirikit was introduced to King Bhumibol in 1948, who had spent part of his childhood in Switzerland and continued his studies at Villa Vadhana there.
After King Bhumibol ascended the throne, he regularly traveled from Lausanne to Paris to visit automobile factories, and during that period his relationship with Sirikit gradually strengthened, and then they announced their engagement on August 12, 1949.
The King married Sirikit in Thailand on April 28, 1950, when she was 17 years old, and one week before he was crowned King of Thailand with the title of “Rama IX” of the Chakri dynasty.
Her husband ascended the throne in 1946 and remained on the throne for 70 years, becoming the longest-ruling king of Thailand, and Queen Sirikit accompanied him during most of the years of his rule.
On May 5, 1950, during the coronation ceremony of King Rama IX, Sirikit was officially installed as queen of the mother kingdom.
Sirikit was given the royal title, and she and the king had four children: King Maha Vajiralongkorn and Princesses Ubolratana, Sirindhorn, and Chulabhorn.
During the ordination ceremony of King Rama IX between October 22 and November 5, 1956, he issued a royal order appointing Queen Mother Sirikit as regent.
Another order was issued on December 5, 1956, declaring her Queen Consort, making her the second Queen Consort during the reign of Rattanakosin, after Queen Sauvabha Phongsri during the reign of King Rama V in 1897.
After the death of her husband, King Bhumibol, in 2016, her only son ascended the throne as Rama
Political experience
During the reign of her husband, King Rama IX, Queen Sirikit emerged as one of the most influential figures in Thai social and cultural life. She devoted her efforts to developing rural communities and enhancing the status of women. She was interested in reviving traditional arts and crafts and preserving the environment, in addition to her prominent role in representing Thailand on the international scene.
In the 1960s, Queen Mother Sirikit topped the list of “the most elegant in the world” four times, for her unique combination of Western fashion and Thai silk, in the prestigious annual ranking of the most elegant personalities in the world.
Thailand’s constitutional monarchy does not have direct political authority, but over time, Queen Sirikit became more politically active and built a special influence base for herself, and members of her guard held powerful positions in the armed forces.
In 1998, Queen Sirikit used her birthday speech to call on Thais to unite behind then-Prime Minister Quan Likpai, dealing a heavy blow at the opposition’s plan to hold a no-confidence debate and hold new elections.
Following this, the Queen became associated with a political movement known as the Royal People’s Alliance for Democracy, which led protests that toppled governments led by or linked to an alliance with Thaksin Shinawatra.
As the country entered a period of violent divisions between the ruling elite and the larger rural class in the early 2000s, the queen demonstrated her sympathy for demonstrators loyal to the king by providing financial aid to those injured in clashes with the police.
In a symbolic movement in 2008, she attended the funeral of one of those killed in those protests, which gained her a tangible social and political presence and influence.
The Queen Mother also contributed to supporting Buddhist groups and organizations in southern Thailand during a period of security tensions between Buddhists and Muslims there.
Humanitarian work
Queen Sirikit has been involved in humanitarian and social work on a large scale, and has made “serving the Thai people” a fundamental focus of her royal role. Its humanitarian activity was distinguished by its focus on developing rural communities, empowering women, and promoting social justice.
Since the 1970s, the Queen Mother began organizing regular field visits to remote villages to inspect the conditions of the residents and hear their needs directly.
These tours resulted in the establishment of small projects that contributed to improving the standard of living, and provided job opportunities for women in agricultural areas through craft training centers, which focused on handicrafts, textiles, and heritage works.
In 1976, her efforts culminated in the establishment of the Support Foundation, which aimed to empower Thai artisans, especially rural women, by promoting traditional handicrafts and providing a sustainable source of income.
Later, the Foundation became a national platform for the protection of traditional arts, as it established specialized institutes to teach crafts and arts, such as the Queen Sirikit Institute of Arts in Bangkok. This foundation has enabled thousands of families to improve their economic conditions, while preserving the cultural heritage and Thai identity.
The Queen also paid great attention to health and social care, supporting maternal and child health programs, establishing mobile medical units to provide basic services in remote areas, and contributing to the development of hospitals and health centers.
She saw education as an essential tool for social advancement, funding scholarships for children in deprived areas and encouraging equal educational opportunities for all.
Her humanitarian activity extended to the field of environment and sustainable development, as she launched pioneering projects such as “The Little House in the Big Forest” and “The Forest Loves Water,” which focused on preserving forests, natural resources, and environmental balance, earning her the title “Green Queen.”
Thanks to these continuous efforts, Sirikit has become for her people an embodiment of the idea of “Mother of the Nation,” as she combined care, giving, and sustainable social work.
Thailand honored her achievements by declaring August 12, her birthday, as National Mother’s Day, in appreciation of her humanitarian role in “consolidating the values of compassion, solidarity, and social solidarity” in Thai society.
Death
Queen Mother Sirikit died on the evening of October 24, 2025 in a hospital in the capital, Bangkok, at the age of 93, according to what the Thai Royal Palace Department announced in an official statement.
Her death occurred as a result of a bloodstream infection, the symptoms of which began on October 17 of the same year, and despite receiving intensive medical care, her condition gradually deteriorated until she died.
The death announcement was followed by the issuance of a royal order from King Maha to hold an official royal funeral ceremony at the highest level of honor, in addition to declaring a period of mourning for a full year for members of the royal family and palace workers, in honor of the Queen Mother’s long career and the humanitarian and patriotic contributions she made.
The Queen Mother’s health had gradually deteriorated over her final years. The Royal Thai Chamber of Commerce has issued statements several At various times, she revealed that she had undergone multiple medical examinations after suffering from a decrease in blood flow to the brain, which required careful and continuous medical monitoring.
In April 2019, the Queen Mother was transferred to hospital due to several illnesses, and then was readmitted to hospital in July of the same year due to a respiratory infection. Since then, her public appearances on official occasions have decreased.
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