Thailand's former Queen Sirikit, who died Friday aged 93, won global headlines for her glamour during decades alongside her husband and was seen by many as a unifying symbol as her country underwent repeated crises.

Renowned in the 1960s for her elegance and charisma, she regularly featured in lists of the world's best-dressed women and appeared on magazine covers from Time to Paris Match, which called her "The most beautiful queen in the world".

In her younger days, she met US presidents and Hollywood superstars, with some Western media drawing comparisons with former US first lady Jackie Kennedy.

Born in Bangkok on August 12, 1932, as the country transitioned from absolute to constitutional monarchy, Sirikit Kitiyakara was the daughter of a diplomat who was a minor royal himself.

She

See Full Page