Overview
- The Royal Household Bureau said she died at 9:21 pm Friday at Bangkok’s Chulalongkorn Hospital after a blood infection noted since Oct. 17.
- King Maha Vajiralongkorn ordered a year-long mourning period, with her body to lie in state at the Grand Palace’s Dusit Throne Hall.
- She had been largely absent from public view since a 2012 stroke and received long-term hospital care in recent years.
- A leading patron of rural development and traditional crafts, she founded the SUPPORT foundation in 1976 to train villagers and preserve silk weaving and other skills.
- Her role sometimes intersected with politics, including attending a 2008 PAD protester’s funeral, and commentators note her death may sharpen focus on the monarchy’s future as no heir has been publicly named.