Thailand Sets Five-Day Royal Cremation for Queen Sirikit in December
Thailand Sets Five-Day Royal Cremation for Queen Sirikit in December
BANGKOK, Sept. 23, 2026 — Thailand will hold the royal cremation ceremonies for the late Queen Sirikit, The Queen Mother, over five days from December 15 to 19, with the main Royal Cremation Ceremony scheduled for December 16 at the Royal Crematorium on Sanam Luang in Bangkok.
The schedule was conveyed by the Bureau of the Royal Household and acknowledged at a meeting of the Public Relations Committee on September 21, according to Thailand’s Government Public Relations Department.
The five-day programme will begin on December 15 with a royal merit-making ceremony at 5 p.m. at Dusit Maha Prasat Throne Hall, in preparation for the transfer of the Royal Urn to the Royal Crematorium.
On December 16, the Royal Urn will be moved from Dusit Maha Prasat Throne Hall to the Royal Crematorium at Sanam Luang at 7 a.m. The Royal Cremation Ceremony is scheduled to begin at 4:30 p.m.
On December 17, the Royal Relics and Royal Ashes will be collected from the crematorium at 8 a.m. and transferred to the Temple of the Emerald Buddha within the Grand Palace.
A royal merit-making ceremony for the Royal Relics will take place at Dusit Maha Prasat Throne Hall at 5 p.m. on December 18.
The final day, December 19, will begin at 10 a.m. with an offering of a meal to monks at Dusit Maha Prasat Throne Hall. The Royal Relics will subsequently be transferred for enshrinement in the Heavenly Abode at Chakri Maha Prasat Throne Hall.
At 5 p.m., the Royal Ashes will be enshrined at Wat Ratchabophit Sathit Maha Simaram and Wat Bovoranives, formally concluding the five-day royal ceremony.
Live broadcasts and media preparations
Royal permission has been granted for Thailand’s Government Public Relations Department and the Television Pool of Thailand to provide live broadcasts of the ceremonies from December 15 to 19.
A Main Press Centre and an International Broadcast Centre will also be established to support Thai and international media covering the royal ceremonies.
Supamas Isarabhakdi, Minister Attached to the Prime Minister’s Office and chair of the Public Relations Committee, said preparations during the final three months before the ceremony would focus on providing accurate and comprehensive information, coordinating media operations and ensuring appropriate coverage.
The five-day schedule reflects the traditional sequence of royal rites, from the preparation and transfer of the Royal Urn to the Royal Cremation, collection of the Royal Relics and Royal Ashes, and their subsequent enshrinement.
