During this period, flags at all government offices, state-owned companies, and educational institutions will be flown at half-mast, while officials and public employees are required to observe a year of mourning, as detailed in an official statement.
Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul, who postponed his trip to Malaysia for the Southeast Asian leaders' summit to Sunday, urged the population to dress in black or discreet colors "as a sign of respect" for the next 90 days, as he stated before attending an emergency Cabinet meeting.
The Queen Mother passed away "peacefully" at a hospital in Bangkok at 9:21 pm local time (2:21 pm GMT) on Friday. Sirikit, hospitalized since 2019, had suffered a blood infection this month, according to the Royal Household Bureau.
For over six decades, Sirikit was married to King Bhumibol Adulyadej, who passed away in 2016 and was considered Thailand's longest-reigning monarch. Her public appearances significantly decreased since 2012 when she suffered a stroke.
Upon hearing the news, dozens of people gathered outside the Thai Red Cross Society's Chulalongkorn Hospital, where she was hospitalized. "We were not prepared for this (...) If our hearts are broken, how must His Majesty be feeling?" said a woman in tears and dressed in black, referring to King Vajiralongkorn, the late sovereign's son.