Queen Sirikit's Legacy: A Life of Service and Influence

Queen Sirikit, the beloved queen mother of Thailand, passed away at the age of 93. Her death was announced on Friday, following a blood infection that she had been battling since October 17. Despite the best efforts of her medical team, her condition did not improve. She had been in declining health since suffering a stroke in 2012, which led to her withdrawal from public life. King Maha Vajiralongkorn, her son and the current king of Thailand, directed that she be given a funeral with the highest honors. He also instructed members of the royal family and royal servants to observe mourning for one year. Mourners gathered outside Chulalongkorn Hospital on Saturday morning, expressing their grief and shock at the news. Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul described Sirikit's passing as a great loss for the country. He announced that the national flag would fly at half-staff at all government agencies for 30 days, and civil servants would observe mourning for one year. The queen's influence and popularity were evident in the outpouring of grief from people across the country. Sirikit was born into a rich, aristocratic family in Bangkok on August 12, 1932. She met Thailand's newly crowned king, Bhumibol Adulyadej, in Paris when she was 16. Their friendship blossomed after the king suffered a near-fatal car accident, and she moved to Switzerland to help care for him. They married in 1950 and had four children together. During their early married life, the Thai royals traveled the world as goodwill ambassadors, forging personal ties with world leaders. However, by the early 1970s, they turned their attention to Thailand's domestic problems, including rural poverty, opium addiction in hill tribes, and a communist insurgency. The queen, known for her impeccable style and love of shopping, also enjoyed visiting simple villages and climbing hills. Sirikit was involved in numerous royal development projects across Thailand, some of which she initiated and directly supervised. In 1976, she launched a foundation to promote Thai traditional handcrafts, which has trained thousands of villagers in crafts such as silk-weaving, jewelry-making, painting, and ceramics. She also set up wildlife breeding centers, "open zoos, " and hatcheries to save endangered sea turtles. Her Forest Loves Water and Little House in the Forest projects sought to demonstrate the economic gains of preserving forest cover and water sources. While some in Bangkok gossiped about her involvement in palace intrigues and her lavish lifestyle, her popularity in the countryside endured. She believed that the monarchy was a vital institution in Thailand, stating in a 1979 interview with The Associated Press, "There are some in the universities who think the monarchy is obsolete. But I think Thailand needs an understanding monarch. "