Thailand’s former Queen Sirikit, the mother of the current Thai King Vajiralongkorn and wife of the nation’s late and longest-reigning monarch, has died at the age of 93, the royal palace said.

“Her Majesty’s condition worsened until Friday and she passed away at 9:21 pm… at Chulalongkorn Hospital at age 93,” the palace said in a statement on Saturday.

The royal family is venerated in Thailand, treated by many as semi-divine figures and lavished with glowing media coverage and gold-adorned portraits hanging in public spaces and private homes nationwide.

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