Thailand mourns Queen Mother Sirikit’s death at 93
Thailand’s Queen Mother Sirikit died at age 93 after battling multiple health problems since her 2012 stroke. The royal household announced her death on Saturday following complications from a bloodstream infection that developed on October 17. Officials declared a yearlong mourning period for the monarchy.
Sirikit married King Bhumibol Adulyadej in 1950 and supported rural development programs across Thailand for more than four decades. The government designated her birthday as Mother’s Day in 1976. She withdrew from public appearances after suffering a stroke and remained hospitalized from 2019 through her death.
The queen mother backed royalist political movements that opposed populist administrations. She attended a protest victim’s funeral in 2008 and used her 1998 birthday speech to support Prime Minister Chuan Leekpai. Her son Maha Vajiralongkorn became king in 2016 after his father’s death ended a 70-year reign.
