King Bhumibol and Queen Sirikit of Thailand wave to the crowds during a visit to Britain, 1960. Evening Standard/Hulton Royals Collection/Getty Images Bangkok AP —

Thailand’s Queen Mother Sirikit, who supervised royal projects to help the rural poor, preserve traditional craft-making and protect the environment, died on Friday. She was 93.

The Royal Household Bureau said she died in a hospital in Bangkok. Since Oct. 17, she had been suffering from a blood infection but despite her medical team’s efforts, her conditions did not improve.

She had been largely absent from public life in recent years due to declining health. Her husband, King Bhumibol Adulyadej, died in October 2016 .

Photos released by the palace for her 88th birthday showed her son, King Maha Vajiralongkorn ,

See Full Page