His Majesty the King and Her Majesty the Queen gave the Bhutanese people a special gift as the kingdom was celebrating its New Year (Losar) holidays. The gift – the first photo of the four-day-old Royal baby – was taken at Lingkana Palace in the presence of the Fourth King.
The photo, posted on Facebook, shows His Majesty the Fourth Druk Gyalpo holding his grandson who is wrapped in a yellow scarf.
Ever since the announcement of Her Majesty the Queen’s pregnancy on Bhutan’s National Day by none other than His Majesty the King himself, the Bhutanese citizenry have been waiting for a glimpse of their heir apparent. And the news of the birth of the Royal prince, on the 5th, could not have come at a better time than when the nation was preparing for the Bhutanese New Year (Losar).
After the announcement of the Royal baby, the Prime Minister said in the media: “The nation welcomes the news with great joy and happiness. The day calls for a great celebration throughout the country.”
His Majesty King Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck married Her Majesty Queen Jetsun Pema in 2011. The wedding took place in the old Bhutanese capital of Punakha and was carried out in traditional Bhutanese customs with a lot of dignitaries from around the world present.
For the Bhutanese Royal couple, also affectionately called the William and Kate of the Himalayas, the first Royal visitors, after the baby’s arrival, it seems will be the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge (William and Kate), who are making an official visit to Bhutan this spring.
His Majesty the King, 35, is widely revered in the remote kingdom of 750,000 people. He was educated in India and Britain and took over after the abdication to steer the country towards its democratic transition.
His Majesty the King ascended to the throne in 2008, after his father, His Majesty Jigme Singye Wangchuck, abdicated in his favor. It was the same year in which Bhutan held its first democratic election and voted in an elected parliament. From an absolute monarchy, Bhutan is today a constitutional monarchy.