Sirikit was born in 1932 in Thailand and was raised by her maternal grandparents for her first year while her father worked abroad. When she turned one, her parents returned to Thailand and Sirikit lived with her family in the Deves Palace. She is the eldest daughter and third child of Prince Nakkhatra Mangkala Kitiyakara and Mom Luang Bua Sanidvongs. Her name, given by King Prajadhipok, means "the Greatness of Kitiyakara".