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Thailand

Queen Sirikit of Thailand admitted to hospital with the flu

Queen Sirikit of Thailand is recuperating in hospital after being diagnosed with the flu. The Royal Household Bureau made the announcement just after midnight on Monday.

The 86-year-old queen mother was admitted on Sunday to Chulalongkorn Hospital in Bangkok with a high fever and a frequent cough after her doctors advised her to undergo a medical check. Medical lab tests showed that the Queen had influenza.

She was treated with medication, and the Household said that her condition is improving. Her Majesty is fully alert and eating well. Additionally, her cough is less frequent, and her fever has subsided. Doctors have advised that Her Majesty recover in hospital.

The widow of King Rama IX has had health issues in the past including a stroke in 2012. Since then, she has refrained from many public duties.

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She recently celebrated her 86th birthday on 12 August. The day, “Mother’s Day”, is a national holiday in Thailand. Images were released by the Royal Household Bureau on her birthday showing her children, King Rama X and Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn, visiting her at Chitralada Palace in the Thai capital.

Queen Sirikit is the mother of Thailand’s reigning monarch, King Maha Vajiralongkorn Bodindradebayavarangkun (or Rama X) who took the throne after the death of his father, King Bhumibol Adulyadej (or Rama IX) in 2016. King Rama IX had reigned for seven decades, and his death was met with widespread mourning across the nation.

She was born on 12 August 1932 and married King Rama IX on 28 April 1950. They had four children: Princess Ubolratana, King Rama X, Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn, and Princess Chulabhorn.

About author

Brittani is from Tennessee, USA. She is a political scientist and historian after graduating with a degree in the topics from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, in December 2014. She also holds a master's degree from Northeastern University. She enjoys reading and researching all things regarding the royals of the world. She's been researching, reading, and writing on royalty for over a decade. She became Europe Editor in October 2016, and then Deputy Editor in January 2019, and has been featured on several podcasts, radio shows, news broadcasts and websites including Global News Canada, ABC News Australia, WION India and BBC World News.