Bhutan Royal Wedding

It is rumoured  that the two  first met at a  picnic when she  was seven

On 13 October, in a Bhutanese fairy-tale wedding, the country’s 31-year-old king, the Oxford-educated Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuk, married Jetsum Pema, a commoner educated in India and London. The nuptials were performed in Bhutan’s former capital, Punakha, and among the invitees was India’s own ‘crown prince’, Rahul Gandhi.

King Jigme Khesar was crowned in 2008, when his father relinquished the crown. It marked the start of democracy in the country. His most successful endeavour has been to develop an index to measure Gross National Happiness, and he has also been known for his journeys across Bhutan, on foot and bicycles, to meet the country’s 700,000 population.

His 21-year-old bride is the daughter of a pilot and studied international relations. She is also an alumnus of Lawrence School, Sanawar. The couple reportedly lived together for eight months.

In the most sacred part of the ceremony, the king, his father and the country’s chief abbot, the Je Khenpo, sought the blessings of the Shabdrung Namgyel, a lama who unified Bhutan in the 17th century. His embalmed body is preserved in a small chamber within the palace.

Meanwhile, the bride prayed in a chamber outside. Soon, the king’s father emerged and placed five scarves blessed by the Shabdrung around her neck, and gave her a golden chalice containing curd that had been transformed into holy ambrosia. She later presented the king the cup, from which he sipped before crowning her.

It is rumoured that the two first met at a picnic when she was seven and he was 17 and she gave him a hug. He reportedly also dated her cousin while studying at Oxford.

Bhutan’s handsome king couldn’t get enough of his beautiful bride and didn’t mind showing it to the world; he publicly kissed the new queen not once, but thrice.

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