“Jackie Kennedy of Asia” died at the age of 93. Who was Sirikit Kitiyakorn, the wife of a king who ruled for 70 years
Former Queen Sirikit Kitiyakorn, the wife of Bhumibol Adulyadej, who ruled Thailand for 70 years and the mother of the current monarch, has died at the age of 93, her death marking an era change for the powerful Thai monarchy, according to AFP.
“His Majesty's health deteriorated by Friday and he passed away at 21:21 (…) at Chulalongkorn Hospital” in Bangkok, the palace said in a statement, adding that King Vajiralongkorn had asked all members of the royal family to observe a year of mourning.
“Jackie Kennedy of Asia”
Dubbed the “Jackie Kennedy of Asia” in her youth, Sirikit and Bhumibol Adulyadej, who ruled as Rama IX, formed a brilliant and powerful couple that cemented the monarchy's place at the heart of Thai society.
His death undoubtedly opens a period of intense popular emotion and lavish tributes, notes France Presse.
The King of Thailand is considered by many to be the father of the nation and a symbol of the Buddhist ideal. The fervor generated by this semi-divine figure has few equivalents in the modern world.
The country observed a year of official mourning for Bhumibol, who died in October 2016 and was cremated a year later in a grand ceremony.
As early as Saturday morning, television news anchors were dressed in black, a sign that the mourning period for Sirikit has also begun for the public.
The Queen Mother had not appeared in public for years
Weakened by a stroke, she had not appeared in public for years, but it is not uncommon to see her portrait framed in gold in front of public buildings, in shops or in private homes.
“I had heard that he was not feeling well, and given that he was over 90 years old, I knew this day would come,” Sasis Putthasit, a 53-year-old housekeeper, said in Bangkok on Saturday morning.
“I'm sad because she was a mother figure for the country and now she's gone,” she added.
Sirikit's birthday on August 12 marked Mother's Day in Thailand.
An aristocrat who grew up mostly in Europe
Sirikit had four children from her marriage to Bhumibol, celebrated in 1950 when she was 17, including one son, Maha Vajiralongkorn, who succeeded his father.
This aristocrat, the daughter of a diplomat who was ambassador in Paris, grew up mainly in Europe, where she met her future husband, then a student in Switzerland.
In the 1960s, they gave the Thai monarchy an image of modernity: always dressed in fashion, Sirikit especially attended jazz concerts, which Bhumibol loved, and posed in women's magazines.
The couple also met Elvis Presley in 1960 while on tour in the United States.
Thailand punishes lejmajesty extremely harshly
While remaining highly respected, in 2020 the royal family faced a wave of protests that mobilized tens of thousands of young people to take to the streets for political reforms. Among their demands was a reform of the monarchy and the very strict lezmajesty law that protected it, resulting in very strong self-censorship.
In recent years, numerous Thais have been sentenced to heavy prison terms for defaming the king and his family.
Although the royal family is considered a figure that transcends ideological divisions and has always refrained from commenting, Sirikit in 2008 attended the funeral of a protester of the “yellow shirts”, those supporters of the king and the traditional order whose rivalry with the “red shirts” of former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra has long dominated politics thai.
Even today, this division remains very present in Thailand, which has seen a dozen successful coups since the establishment of the constitutional monarchy in 1932.
The palace has not yet confirmed the succession of the current king, who turned 73 in July. He has seven children by three different women, but has disowned four of his sons.
He has a son, Dipangkorn Rasmijoti, 20, and two daughters, Sirivannavari Nariratana, 38, and Bajrakitiyabha Mahidol, 46, who is still hospitalized after a heart problem that caused her to lose consciousness in December 2022.
