BANGKOK: Thailand’s Queen Mother Sirikit, who brought glamour and elegance to a postwar revival in the country’s monarchy and who, in later years, would occasionally wade into politics, has died aged 93, the Thai Royal Household bureau said on Saturday (Oct 25).
Sirikit had been out of the public eye since a stroke in 2012.
Her husband, King Bhumibol Adulyadej, was Thailand’s longest-reigning monarch, with 70 years on the throne since 1946. She was at his side for much of that, winning over hearts at home with their charity work.
When they travelled abroad, she also charmed the world’s media with her beauty and fashion sense.
During a 1960 visit to the United States that included a state dinner at the White House, Time magazine called her “svelte” and “archfeminist.” The French daily L’Aurore described her as “ravishing”.
Born in 1932, the year Thailand transitioned to a constitutional monarchy from an absolute monarchy, Sirikit Kitiyakara was the daughter of Thailand’s ambassador to France and led a life of wealth and privilege.
While studying music and language in Paris, she met Bhumibol, who had spent parts of his childhood in Switzerland.
“It was hate at first sight,” she said in a BBC documentary, noting that he had arrived late to their first meeting. “Then it was love.”
The couple spent time together in Paris and were engaged in 1949. They married in Thailand a year later when she was 17.
Always stylish, Sirikit collaborated with French couturier Pierre Balmain on eye-catching outfits made from Thai silk. By supporting the preservation of traditional weaving practices, she is credited with helping revitalise Thailand’s silk industry.
Source: CNA
