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

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.

Authorities ordered flags to fly at half-mast for 30 days, banned weddings and concerts, and instructed citizens to wear black.

Former Queen Sirikit’s body will lie in state at the Grand Palace’s Dusit Thorne Hall in the capital, Bangkok, according to the palace.

People react as they hold portraits of Thailand’s former queen Sirikit in front of Chulalongkorn Hospital in Bangkok.

Header Image: Thai mourner Kanjana Malaithong holds a portrait of Thailand’s former queen Sirikit and Thai King Bhumibol Adulyadej as she weeps at Chulalongkorn Hospital in Bangkok on October 25. — AFP