Recognised as the Mother of the Thai Nation, Her Majesty Queen Sirikit, the Queen Mother, passed away last night in Chulalongkorn Memorial Hospital at the age of 93.
The Queen Mother was born in 1932 as Mom Rajawongse Sirikit Kitiyakara, the eldest daughter of Prince Nakkhatra Mangala and Mom Luang Bua Kitiyakara.
It was a turbulent time in Thailand, or Siam as it was then, with the coup of June 24, 1932, which changed Thailand’s administrative system from an absolute to a constitutional monarchy.
Prince Nakkhatra Mangala was appointed First Secretary at the Royal Thai Embassy in Washington, DC. The young MR Sirikit was left in the care of her maternal grandparents.
By late 1935, her father resigned from government service and returned to Thailand. MR Sirikit rejoined her family and started her schooling at the kindergarten level.
After World War II, her father was appointed Ambassador to the Court of St James’s in Great Britain, and then to Denmark and France.
She went along with the family, took piano lessons and studied art, languages, history and literature.
The Queen Mother met King Bhumibol Adulyadej while studying music in Paris, where her father was stationed as ambassador to France.
"It was hate at first sight," she said in a 1980 BBC documentary about the Thai monarchy, called ‘Soul of a Nation’, adding that he had arrived late to their first meeting.
"He said he would arrive at four o'clock in the afternoon. He arrived at seven o'clock, kept me standing there, practicing curtsy after curtsy," she said.
The couple married on April 28, 1950, just a week before King Bhumibol was crowned in Bangkok.
In the 1960s, Queen Sirikit and King Bhumibol travelled to many countries, meeting US President Dwight Eisenhower, Queen Elizabeth II, as well as Elvis Presley.
During that decade, she frequently made the international best-dressed lists. When they travelled abroad, she also charmed the world’s media with her beauty and fashion sense.
Queen Sirikit of Thailand is welcomed by French fashion designer Pierre Balmain as she is about to attend a haute couture show in Paris on October 12, 1960.//AFP
During a 1960 visit to the United States, which included a state dinner at the White House, Time magazine called her “svelte” and an “arch feminist.”
The French daily L’Aurore described her as “ravishing.”
Always stylish, the Queen Mother 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.
In the rare 1980 interview with the BBC, she also described the relationship between the monarchy and the people of Thailand.
She said, “Kings and queens of Thailand have always been in close contact with the people, and they usually regard the king as the father of the nation. That is why we do not have much (of a) private life, because we are considered father and mother of the nation.”
Throughout King Bhumibol Adulyadej’s 70 years on the throne, since 1946, she was at his side for much of that time, winning over hearts at home with their charity work.
The Queen Mother became a role model for the Thai people, by promoting their well-being.
In support of the King’s work, she looked after the Thai people, especially those struggling to earn a living and in need of occupational know-how.
She also initiated many development projects that have benefited people from all walks of life.
Her Majesty devoted her time, energy and personal funds to royal functions and activities, as well as numerous royally initiated projects in areas including the arts, culture and the environment.
