Bangkok - Sirikit, the queen mother of Thailand, died at the age of 93 in a Bangkok hospital late on Friday, the Royal Household announced.
The court announced a royal funeral with the highest honours and declared a year of mourning.
Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul's Cabinet met on Saturday morning to discuss details of the funeral arrangements, the various ceremonies, and the burial.
It was later announced that the people would be asked to wear black or "neutral colours" for 90 days. Concerts and other events may also be cancelled, but no specific details were given at this stage.
"Her eternal grace and devotion to the Thai nation will be remembered with deepest reverence," the Thai government said.
Sirikit was married to King Bhumibol Adulyadej, who died in 2016 after seven decades on the throne, and is the mother of King Maha Vajiralongkorn, their only son. She had suffered from numerous ailments and rarely appeared in public in recent years.
Sirikit is revered as the nation's mother figure, and her birthday on August 12 is celebrated as Thailand's Mother's Day.
In her youth, Sirikit was renowned for her beauty, which captivated the world as it did her husband, Bhumibol, who went on to become Thailand's most powerful man over the last century.
In her formative years, she regularly featured on the daily royal news television programme, where her endeavours and projects were showcased, from her work on the environment to helping rural villagers and her special interest in Thai silk.
Bhumibol and Sirikit were among the most important figures international aristocracy.
Photographs of the diplomat's daughter often graced magazine covers around the world, and fashion magazines celebrated her as a style icon.
Vanity Fair once praised her as "Asia's Jackie Kennedy," while ParisMatch called her the most beautiful queen ever. In the 1950s and 1960s, Thailand's queen was considered the epitome of Asian grace and elegance.
However, public appearances had been rare for Sirikit since suffering from a stroke in 2012.
She was seen at Bhumibol's elaborate funeral in 2017, looking frail as she waved at fellow mourners along the procession route.
Sirikit was born in Bangkok with the royal title of "momrajawongse," roughly equivalent to the honourable or her excellency, on August 12, 1932, the same year Thailand replaced its absolut monarchy with a constitutional one.
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