Sirikit

Sirikit
Queen Regent of Thailand
Queen Sirikit in Russia in 2007
Queen consort of Thailand
Reign	5 May 1950 – present &0000000000000063.00000063 years, &0000000000000164.000000164 days
Coronation	5 May 1950
Spouse	Bhumibol Adulyadej (Rama IX) (Since 28 April 1950)
Issue
Princess Ubolratana Rajakanya HRH Crown Prince Maha Vajiralongkorn HRH Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn HRH Princess Chulabhorn Walailak
House	House of Kitiyakara (by birth) House of Mahidol (by marriage) Chakri Dynasty
Father	Nakkhatra Mangkala Kitiyakara, the Prince of Chanthaburi II
Mother	Mom Luang Bua Sanidvongse
Born	12 August 1932 (1932-08-12) (age 77) Bangkok, Thailand
Religion	Theravada Buddhism

Somdet Phra Nang Chao Sirikit Phra Borommarachininat (Thai: สมเด็จพระนางเจ้าสิริกิติ์ พระบรมราชินีนาถ; Literally: "Her Majesty Queen Regent Sirikit"; listen (help·info)), or Queen Sirikit (born Mom Rajawongse Sirikit Kitiyakara on August 12, 1932), is the wife as well as the Queen consort of Bhumibol Adulyadej, King (Rama IX) of Thailand. She is the second Queen Regent of Thailand (the first Queen Regent was Queen Saovabha Bongsri of Siam, later Queen Sri Patcharindra, the Queen Mother). As the consort of the king who currently is the world's longest reigning head of state, she is also the world's longest serving consort of a monarch.

Early life

Queen Sirikit was born on August 12, 1932, at the home of Lord Vongsanuprabhand, her maternal grandfather. She is the eldest daughter and the third child of Mom Chao Nakkhatra Mangkala Kitiyakara, the son of Prince Kitiyakara Voraluksana, Prince of Chanthaburi and Mom Luang Bua Sanitvongse. Her name was given by King Prajadhipok. Her name means the Greatness of Kitiyakara.

She has 3 siblings; 2 elder brothers and a younger sister:

• Prof. Dr. Mom Rajawongse Galyanakit Kitiyakara (born September 20, 1929, died May 15, 1987)
• Mom Rajawongse Adulyakit Kitiyakara (born November 2, 1930, died May 5, 2004)
• Mom Rajawongse Busba Kitiyakara (born August 2, 1934)

When Sirikit was born, her mother gave her to her maternal grandparents who raised her for a year. Her father went to United States to work as the Secretary of the Siamese Royal Embassy at Washington D.C., while her mother accompanied her husband three months later after she gave birth to Sirikit. As a child, Sirikit often went outdoors with her paternal grandmother. Once in 1933, she traveled with Mom Chao Absornsamarn Dhevakul following King Prajadhipok’s tour in Songkla.

One year later, her parents returned to Thailand. Sirikit lived together with her family in Dheves Palace, near Chao Phraya River, Bangkok.

Education

The King and Queen after their wedding on the 28 April 1950.

Thai Royal Family
HM The King HM The Queen Princess Ubolratana Rajakanya Khun Ploypailin Jensen Khun Sirikitiya Jensen HRH The Crown Prince HRH Princess Sirasmi HRH Princess Bajrakitiyabha HRH Princess Siriwannawari Nariratana HRH Prince Dipangkorn Rasmijoti HRH Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn HRH Princess Chulabhorn Walailak HRH Princess Siribhachudhabhorn HRH Princess Adityadhornkitikhun HRH Princess Bejaratana Rajasuda HRH Princess Soamsavali Thanpuying Dhasanawalaya Sornsongkram
v • d • e

At age 4, Sirikit attended the Kindergarten College at Rajini School (sometimes name as the Queen’s college). She studied until her first year at the primary level. During that time was the Pacific War, and Bangkok was attacked many times, thus causing unsafe transportation. She then moved to Saint Francis Xavier Convent School, because it was near the palace. She studied at that school from her second year at the primary level to the secondary level.

In 1946, when the war ended, her father moved to the United Kingdom to worked as the Ambassador to the Court of St. James's, taking his family with him. At that time, Sirikit was 13 and had graduated the secondary level. While staying in England, she learned to play the piano and learned English and French. She and her family moved to various countries including Denmark and France. While staying in France, she studied at a music academy in Paris.

In France, she met King Bhumibol Adulyadej, who at that time has ascended to the throne already and had been studying at Switzerland. Sirikit welcomed the King by accompanying him to various tourist attractions. Both the King and Sirikit happened to be staying at the Thai Royal Embassy in Paris, as well as a few other students. Both the King and Sirikit found common grounds on their likes and dislikes and thus began a relationship.

Marriage

Queen Sirikit during a parade in New York City, July 1960.

On 4 October 1948, while Bhumibol was driving a Fiat Topolino on the Geneva-Lausanne road, he collided into the rear of a braking truck 10 km outside of Lausanne. He hurt his back and incurred cuts on his face that cost him sight in his right eye. He subsequently wore an ocular prosthetic. While he was hospitalised in Lausanne, Sirikit visited him frequently. She met his mother, The Princess Mother Sangval, who asked her to continue her studies nearby so that the king could get to know her better. Bhumibol selected for her a boarding school in Lausanne, Riante Rive. A quiet engagement in Lausanne followed on 19 July 1949, and the couple married on 28 April 1950, just a week before his coronation.

In the marriage, it took place at Srapathum Palace. Queen Sri Savarindira, the Queen Grandmother presided over the marriage ceremony. Both the King and Sirikit signed their name in their marriage licenses. Later, she received the Order of the Royal House of Chakri, and then became Queen. Later, after the coronation ceremony on May 5, 1950, both went back to Switzerland to study and came back to Bangkok again in 1952.

Regency

When the King undertook a period of service as a Buddhist monk in 1956 (as is customary for all Thai Buddhist males), Queen Sirikit became Regent. She performed her duties so satisfactorily that she was made queen regent and given the style of "Somdej Phra Nang Chao Sirikit Phra Borommarachininat" by her husband on his birthday, December 5, 1956. Upon this inception, she became the second Siamese Queen Regent. The first Queen Regent was Queen Saovabha Bongsri of Siam, who was regent when her husband King Chulalongkorn travelled to Europe. (later Queen Sri Patcharindra, the Queen Mother)

Children

Sirikit in Germany with President Heinrich Lübke and his wife Wilhelmine, 1960.

The couple has 4 children; 3 daughters and a son:

• (Formerly HRH) Princess Ubolratana Rajakanya, born April 5 1951 in Lausanne, Switzerland; married Peter Ladd Jensen, has 2 daughters (one son deceased)
• HRH Crown Prince Maha Vajiralongkorn, born July 28 1952; married first time with Mom Luang Soamsavali Kitiyakara (later divorced and became HRH the Princess Niece); has 1 daughter. Then married second time with Yuvadhida Polpraserth; has 4 sons and a daughter. And married third time with Srirasmi Akharaphongpreecha; has one son.
• HRH Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn, born April 2 1955; unmarried
• HRH Princess Chulabhorn Walailak, born July 4 1957; married Virayudh Didyasarin, (then divorced); has 2 daughters

Cultural Identity

Queen Sirikit's birthday, like the King's, is a national holiday, and is also Mothers' Day in the country. She is particularly revered in the more remote and traditional parts of the country, where the monarchy is regarded as semi-divine. Her work in promoting tolerance and understanding for the Muslim minorities in the southernmost provinces of Pattani, Yala and Narathiwat have made her especially popular amongst the local Muslim populace. The Queen has a strong bond with southern Thailand. She spends months in the Muslim-majority provinces every year. This role of the Queen is considered to be as one of the more quiet diplomats.^[1]

Books and writing

With President Vladimir Putin at the Kremlin in July 2007.

Queen Sirikit published the book In Memory of my European Trip in 1964, her memoirs describing her time in Europe with the king. It was this book that made the people realise that she was a talented writer. Moreover, she composed many songs for performing with The Handsome Band, the music band of the palace.

The songs she composed were:

• Chao Chom Kwan (เจ้าจอมขวัญ )
• Thas Ther (ทาสเธอ )
• Sai Yud (สายหยุด )
• Nang Yam (นางแย้ม)

Charitable works and honors

Queen Sirikit is well-known for her charitable work, where she is the honorary President of the Thai Red Cross, a post she has held since 1956. She gained new prominence in this role in the aftermath of the tsunami disaster in southern Thailand in December 2004. She has also been active in relief work for the many refugees from Cambodia and Burma who have sought refuge in Thailand.

Many things in Thailand have been named after the Queen:

• The Queen Sirikit Medical Center building , Ramathibodi Hospital
• The Queen Sirikit Centre for Breast Cancer, a new 10 storey hospital in Bangkok
• the Queen Sirikit National Convention Center in Bangkok
• the Queen Sirikit Park in Bangkok
• the Sirikit Dam on the Nan River, Uttaradit Province
• the Queen Sirikit Botanical Garden, Chiang Mai Province
• the Queen Sirikit Arboretum Garden, Pathum Thani Province
• the Queen Sirikit Cup, an annual Asian-Pacific golf Teams Event
• the Queen Sirikit Crab (Thaiphusa sirikit)
• the Queen Sirikit Rose
• the Queen's Cup, annual football competition

The Queen is also active in promoting Thai culture and history, mainly because of her initiative in the making of the Thai movie The Legend of Suriyothai, one of the most lavish and expensive Thai movies ever made.^[2]

Awards

Honorary Degrees

Title and ranks

Royal cypher of Queen Sirikit

Her formal name and title is Somdet Phra Nang Chao Sirikit Phra Borommarachininat (Thai: สมเด็จพระนางเจ้าสิริกิติ์ พระบรมราชินีนาถ; "Her Majesty Queen Regent Sirikit"). However, her official title is just Queen Sirikit.

At present, the queen ranks as Field Marshal, Admiral of the Fleet and Marshal of the Royal Thai Air Force, usually mentioned in official documents that: Chom Phon Ying Chom Phon Ruea Ying Chom Phon Akat Ying Somdet Phra Nang Chao Sirikit Phra Borommarachininat (Thai: จอมพลหญิง จอมพลเรือหญิง จอมพลอากาศหญิง สมเด็จพระนางเจ้าสิริกิติ์ พระบรมราชินีนาถ; "Her Majesty Queen Regent Sirikit, the Field Marshal, Admiral of the Fleet and Marshal of the Royal Thai Air Force"). The queen holds ceremonial supreme power, after her husband who ranks as the Head of the Royal Thai Armed Forces, among the Royal Thai Army.

• 12 August 1932 - 28 April 1950: The Honourable Mom Rajawongse Sirikit Kitiyakara
• 28 April 1950 - 5 December 1956: Her Majesty Queen Sirikit of Thailand
• 5 December 1956 - present: Her Majesty Queen Sirikit, Queen Regent of Thailand

In 1976, the Thai government gave an honour to the Queen by commemorating Mother's Day as an annual holiday, celebrated on August 12 (the Queen's birthday) annually.

Styles of Queen Sirikit of Thailand
Reference style	Her Majesty
Spoken style	Your Majesty
Alternative style	Ma'am

Ancestor

References

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Queen Sirikit of Thailand

v • d • e Queens and Consorts of the Chakri Dynasty   First Reign Amarindra Second Reign Sri Suriyendra • Sri Sulalai Fourth Reign Soamanas Vadhanavadi • Debsirindra • Piyamavadi Sribajrindramata • Pannarai Fifth Reign Sunandha Kumariratana • Sukhumala Marasri • Savang Vadhana • Saovabha Bongsri Sixth Reign Laksamilawan • Sucharit Suda • Indrasakdi Sachi • Suvadhana Seventh Reign Rambhai Barni Ninth Reign (current) Sirikit Kitiyakara (current) Bold indicate Queen Consorts; the others indicate Princess Consorts.