Thai King and Queen to visit France

King Rama X and Queen Suthida are expected to visit France later this month.

Details of a state visit by the Thai King and Queen have been shared. Although not officially announced by the Bureau of the Royal Household in Bangkok, the Royal News Organisation has learnt details that include a poignant visit by Their Majesties.

King Maha Vajiralongkorn (Rama X) and Queen Suthida will pay a state visit to France from 28 June to 3 July 2026, at the invitation of President Emmanuel Macron. The visit coincides with the 340th anniversary of the first contact between the Kingdom of Siam and France and the 170th anniversary of formal Thai-French Diplomatic Relations.

The King and Queen are scheduled to visit multiple French cities, including Paris and Versailles.

During this significant diplomatic occasion, the most touching part of the trip for Their Majesties will be the visit to the “La Mode en Majesté: Royal Thai Dress From Tradition to Modernity” exhibition at the Musée des Arts Décoratifs in Paris, held under the high Royal Patronage of Princess Sirivannavari Nariratana. Gathering more than a hundred exceptional garments and accessories, the exhibition showcases the royal wardrobes of both Queen Sirikit and Queen Suthida, ‘highlighting the eight traditional Thai costume formats designed by Queen Sirikit in collaboration with a team of historians and local Thai designers.’ Many of the royal garments and accessories are on display internationally for the very first time.

The exhibition — organised in collaboration with the Queen Sirikit Museum of Textiles in Thailand and The Sustainable Arts and Crafts Institute of Thailand (SACIT) — also emphasises the unique history of cultural and artistic dialogue, marked by over thirty years of collaboration between Queen Sirikit and fashion designer Monsieur Pierre Balmain, later continued with the Balmain and Lesage houses. The exhibition is open to the public until 1 November 2026.

The last state visit by a Thai King and Queen to France was in October 1960, making this month’s expected state visit historic.

The Bureau will release full details and a programme of events in due course.