Thailand's former Queen Sirikit, the mother of the current King Vajiralongkorn and wife of the nation's longest-reigning monarch, died late 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.

Throughout her 66-year marriage to King Bhumibol Adulyadej, Sirikit carved a dual reputation as a fashionista and the nation's caring matriarch -- with some Western media featuring her on magazine covers and comparing her to former US first lady Jackie Kennedy.

"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 statemen

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