Thailand is mourning the loss of one of its most revered and influential figures, Queen Mother Sirikit, who passed away peacefully at the age of 93 on Friday, October 24, 2025. Her passing, announced by the Bureau of the Royal Household, has drawn an outpouring of grief across the nation and beyond, as tributes pour in for a queen whose life was dedicated to public service, environmental stewardship, and the welfare of the Thai people.
Queen Mother Sirikit died at King Chulalongkorn Memorial Hospital in Bangkok, where she had been under continuous medical care since September 2019. According to physicians, she contracted a bloodstream infection—medically known as sepsis—on October 17, 2025. Despite the best efforts of her medical team, her condition gradually worsened, and she passed away at 9:21 p.m. As reported by Xinhua and other outlets, her death marks the end of an era for Thailand’s Chakri dynasty and the nation as a whole.
Sepsis, the cause of Queen Sirikit’s death, is a life-threatening condition that arises when the body’s immune system has an extreme response to infection, leading to organ dysfunction. The World Health Organization (WHO) notes that sepsis can progress rapidly, sometimes within hours, and is responsible for a staggering 11 million deaths worldwide in 2020—representing 20% of all global deaths. Early detection is crucial; every hour’s delay in administering antibiotics increases the risk of death by 7–10%.
The Queen Mother’s health had been fragile for years. She suffered a stroke in 2012 and was largely absent from public life thereafter. Her hospitalization in 2019 was prompted by multiple illnesses and abnormalities across several bodily systems, requiring relentless medical attention. Earlier this month, her battle with sepsis became public, highlighting the dangers of this often-misunderstood condition. Symptoms such as fever, chills, confusion, shortness of breath, and clammy skin can escalate to septic shock, a critical drop in blood pressure that may result in organ failure.
In the wake of her passing, King Maha Vajiralongkorn, her only son and the current monarch, immediately decreed that Queen Sirikit be given a royal funeral with the highest honors. Her remains will be enshrined at the Dusit Maha Prasat Throne Hall within the Grand Palace in Bangkok, a gesture steeped in tradition and reverence. The king also established a one-year mourning period for the Royal Family and Royal Court officials, while the national flag will fly at half-staff at all government agencies for 30 days. Civil servants across the country are to observe the full year of mourning, underscoring the depth of national sorrow.
Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul described her death as “a great loss for the country,” echoing the sentiments of millions of Thais. Mourners gathered outside Chulalongkorn Hospital as news spread, with one 67-year-old woman, Maneerat Laowalert, telling AP, “It is yet again another great loss for the whole nation. I heard about it at 4 a.m. I felt like fainting. The whole world seemed like it had stopped.”
International condolences have also poured in. India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi posted, “I am deeply saddened by the passing of Her Majesty Queen Sirikit, The Queen Mother of Thailand. Her lifelong dedication to public service will continue to inspire generations.” Such tributes reflect her global stature and the respect she commanded beyond her homeland.
Queen Sirikit’s legacy is woven into the very fabric of modern Thailand. Born on August 12, 1932, into an aristocratic family in Bangkok, she was educated in wartime Thailand and later in Europe, where she met the future King Bhumibol Adulyadej in Paris. Their romance blossomed after the king’s near-fatal car accident, with Sirikit moving to Switzerland to help care for him. They married in 1950, and together they vowed to “reign with righteousness for the benefit and happiness of the Siamese (Thai) people.”
The couple had four children—King Maha Vajiralongkorn and princesses Ubolratana, Sirindhorn, and Chulabhorn. During their early years, the royal pair traveled the globe as goodwill ambassadors, forging personal ties with world leaders. By the 1970s, however, their focus shifted to domestic concerns, especially rural poverty, opium addiction among hill tribes, and environmental conservation.
Queen Sirikit was known for her hands-on approach, often visiting remote villages where she listened to the concerns of ordinary Thais. “Misunderstandings arise between people in rural areas and the rich, so-called civilized people in Bangkok. People in rural Thailand say they are neglected, and we try to fill that gap by staying with them in remote areas,” she told Associated Press in 1979. Her compassion and direct engagement endeared her to the rural poor, while her birthday, August 12, became celebrated as Mother’s Day across Thailand.
Her initiatives were numerous and impactful. The SUPPORT foundation, launched in 1976, promoted Thai traditional handcrafts, training thousands of villagers in skills such as silk weaving, jewelry-making, and ceramics. She spearheaded wildlife conservation projects, established breeding centers for endangered species, and created programs like Forest Loves Water to promote sustainable forestry. Her influence extended to the protection of the nation’s environment, the preservation of culture, and the empowerment of women through craft and education.
Despite her largely ceremonial role, Queen Sirikit was not without influence in the nation’s political and social landscape. While the monarchy typically avoided overt political involvement, her public presence at the 2008 funeral of a protester killed during street clashes was widely interpreted as a significant gesture during a turbulent period in Thai politics. Throughout her life, she navigated the delicate balance between ceremony and subtle political influence, always mindful of the monarchy’s role as a unifying institution.
Her passing is not just a personal loss for the royal family but a national moment of reflection. In a country where strict lese-majeste laws prohibit criticism of the monarchy, the Queen Mother was a symbol of grace, compassion, and national pride. Her life spanned decades of social, cultural, and political change, helping to shape Thailand’s modern monarchy and leaving a legacy that will be felt for generations.
As Thailand enters a period of mourning, the nation remembers Queen Mother Sirikit not only as a royal figure but as a mother to the nation—a woman whose compassion, dedication, and vision changed countless lives and whose influence will continue to inspire long after her passing.
