![Queen Sirikit of Thailand attends a gala concert in The Hague during the state visit to the Netherlands, October 1960 [JOOP VAN BILSEN/ANEFO/NATIONAAL ARCHIEF/WIKIMEDIA COMMONS]](https://i0.wp.com/www.thecourtjeweller.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/2022-0812-01-sirikit01.jpg?resize=1200%2C815&ssl=1)
In June 1960, King Bhumibol Adulyadej of Thailand and his wife, Queen Sirikit, left Bangkok for a diplomatic world tour that would take them to a remarkable 15 countries over a six-month period. The 32-year-old monarch and his 27-year-old consort prepared for months for the long journey. For the King, this meant careful preparations regarding speeches and conferences with other world leaders, at a time when Thailand was controlled by a military general following a coup d’état, and when the world as a whole was embroiled in the tension of the Cold War. For Queen Sirikit, preparations for the trip included carefully planning and orchestrating her royal image, a traditional part of the “soft power” exercised by royal spouses. Her communication skills didn’t need any work—as the daughter of a former Thai ambassador to Britain, Sirikit was educated in the United Kingdom and spoke fluent English and French. (Understandably, she did express some nervous feelings about speaking in front of reporters and cameras during press conferences.)
![Queen Sirikit of Thailand arrives in The Hague during the state visit to the Netherlands, October 1960 [HARRY POT/ANEFO/NATIONAAL ARCHIEF/WIKIMEDIA COMMONS]](https://i0.wp.com/www.thecourtjeweller.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/2022-0812-01-sirikit02.jpg?resize=1200%2C1681&ssl=1)
![King Bhumibol Adulyadej and Queen Sirikit of Thailand attend a dinner at the Elysee Palace in Paris during the state visit to the France, October 1960 [STF/AFP via GETTY IMAGES]](https://i0.wp.com/www.thecourtjeweller.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/2022-0812-01-sirikit03.jpg?resize=1200%2C1441&ssl=1)
![King Bhumibol Adulyadej of Thailand, President Dwight D. Eisenhower, Queen Sirikit, and Mamie Eisenhower attend a dinner at the White House in Washington, D.C., during the state visit to the United States, June 1960 [WIKIMEDIA COMMONS]](https://i0.wp.com/www.thecourtjeweller.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/2022-0812-01-sirikit04.jpg?resize=1200%2C768&ssl=1)
![Queen Sirikit of Thailand waves during a ticker tape parade in New York City during the state visit to the United States, July 1960 [PHIL STANZIOLA/LIBRARY OF CONGRESS/WIKIMEDIA COMMONS]](https://i0.wp.com/www.thecourtjeweller.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/2022-0812-01-sirikit05.jpg?resize=1200%2C1632&ssl=1)
![Mary Collins, Mayor John F. Collins, Kay Furcolo, Queen Sirikit, King Bhumibol Adulyadej, and Governor Foster Furcolo attend a reception in Boston, Massachusetts, during the state visit to the United States, July 1960 [CITY OF BOSTON ARCHIVES/WIKIMEDIA COMMONS]](https://i0.wp.com/www.thecourtjeweller.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/2022-0812-01-sirikit06.jpg?resize=1200%2C940&ssl=1)
![Queen Sirikit of Thailand arrives in London during the state visit to the United Kingdom, July 1960 [CENTRAL PRESS/AFP via GETTY IMAGES]](https://i0.wp.com/www.thecourtjeweller.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/2022-0812-01-sirikit07.jpg?resize=1200%2C1663&ssl=1)
![King Bhumibol Adulyadej and Queen Sirikit of Thailand are welcomed to London by the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh during the state visit to the United Kingdom, July 1960 [CENTRAL PRESS/AFP via GETTY IMAGES]](https://i0.wp.com/www.thecourtjeweller.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/2022-0812-01-sirikit08.jpg?resize=1200%2C911&ssl=1)
![Queen Sirikit of Thailand attends a dinner and reception at Lancaster House in London during the state visit to the United Kingdom, July 1960 [PA IMAGES/ALAMY]](https://i0.wp.com/www.thecourtjeweller.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/2022-0812-01-sirikit09.jpg?resize=1200%2C1669&ssl=1)
![Queen Sirikit of Thailand, Wilhelmine Lübke, and President Heinrich Lübke attend a reception at the Hotel Petersberg during the state visit to Germany, July 1960 [GERMAN FEDERAL ARCHIVES/WIKIMEDIA COMMONS]](https://i0.wp.com/www.thecourtjeweller.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/2022-0812-01-sirikit10.jpg?resize=1200%2C1119&ssl=1)
![Queen Sirikit of Thailand is pictured during an audience with Pope John XXIII during the state visit to Vatican City, October 1960 [FOTOGRAFIA FELICI/ALAMY]](https://i0.wp.com/www.thecourtjeweller.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/2022-0812-01-sirikit11.jpg?resize=1200%2C1959&ssl=1)
![King Bhumibol Adulyadej and Queen Sirikit of Thailand attend a reception in Brussels during the state visit to Belgium, October 1960 [AFP via GETTY IMAGES]](https://i0.wp.com/www.thecourtjeweller.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/2022-0812-01-sirikit13.jpg?resize=1200%2C1461&ssl=1)
![King Bhumibol Adulyadej and Queen Sirikit of Thailand and Prince Bernhard of the Netherlands attend a gala concert in The Hague during the state visit to the Netherlands, October 1960 [HARRY POT/ANEFO/NATIONAAL ARCHIEF/WIKIMEDIA COMMONS]](https://i0.wp.com/www.thecourtjeweller.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/2022-0812-01-sirikit14.jpg?resize=1200%2C1926&ssl=1)
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