Sirikit

Who was Sirikit?

Sirikit (born Mom Rajawongse Sirikit Kitiyakara; 12 August 1932 – 24 October 2025) was Queen of Thailand from 28 April 1950 to 13 October 2016 as the wife of King Bhumibol Adulyadej (Rama IX), her first cousin once removed. Sirikit met Bhumibol in Paris where her father served as the Thai ambassador to France. Sirikit Kitiyakara was born, at the home of Lord Vongsanuprabhand, her maternal grandfather. She was the eldest daughter and the third child of Prince Nakkhatra Mangkala Kitiyakara, the son of Prince Kitiyakara Voralaksana, and Mom Luang Bua Snidvongs (1909–1999). They married in 1950, shortly before Bhumibol's coronation. In 1956, she was appointed queen regent during the King's temporary ordination as a Buddhist monk. The royal couple had four children: Ubol Ratana, Vajiralongkorn (Rama X), Sirindhorn, and Chulabhorn.

As consort to the monarch who became one of the world's longest-reigning heads of state, she held the distinction of being the world's longest-serving queen consort. Sirikit suffered a stroke in 2012 and subsequently withdrew from public life. She died at the age of 93.

Historical significance

Sirikit was Queen of Thailand from to as the wife of King Bhumibol Adulyadej, her first cousin once removed.