Jigme Khesar Namgyal Wangchuck
Encyclopedia
Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck is the 5th and current reigning Dragon King
Dragon King (Bhutan)
The Druk Gyalpo is the head of state of Bhutan. He is also known in English as the King of Bhutan...
(Druk Gyalpo) of the Kingdom of Bhutan
Bhutan
Bhutan , officially the Kingdom of Bhutan, is a landlocked state in South Asia, located at the eastern end of the Himalayas and bordered to the south, east and west by the Republic of India and to the north by the People's Republic of China...
. He became king on 14 December 2006 being crowned on 6 November 2008.
Family
Khesar is the eldest son of the fourth and previous Dragon KingDragon King (Bhutan)
The Druk Gyalpo is the head of state of Bhutan. He is also known in English as the King of Bhutan...
of Bhutan
Bhutan
Bhutan , officially the Kingdom of Bhutan, is a landlocked state in South Asia, located at the eastern end of the Himalayas and bordered to the south, east and west by the Republic of India and to the north by the People's Republic of China...
, Jigme Singye Wangchuck
Jigme Singye Wangchuck
Jigme Singye Wangchuck is the former King of Bhutan. He was the fourth Dragon King of Bhutan from 1972 until his abdication in favour of his eldest son, Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck, in 2006...
, and his father's third wife, Queen (Ashi) Tshering Yangdon
Tshering Yangdon
Queen Ashi Tshering Yangdon is the third wife of the former Bhutanese king, Jigme Singye Wangchuck. She is the current Queen Mother of Bhutan, as she is the mother of the current Bhutanese king Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck. She is also the mother of King Jigme Khesar's two younger siblings,...
. He has a younger sister, Princess Dechen Yangzom, and brother, Prince Jigme Dorji, as well as four half-sisters and three half-brothers.
Engagement and marriage
As he opened the session of parliamentParliament of Bhutan
The Parliament of Bhutan consists of the King of Bhutan together with a bicameral parliament.Constitution: Art. 1, § 3; Art. 10 This bicameral parliament is made up of an upper house, the National Council and a lower house, the National Assembly.Constitution: Art. 11; Art...
on Friday, 20 May 2011, the King announced his engagement to Jetsun Pema
Jetsun Pema
Jetsun Pema is the sister of the 14th Dalai Lama.-Biography:Jetsun Pema was born in Lhasa, on July 7, 1940. She came to India in 1950 and studied first at St. Joseph's Convent in Kalimpong and later at Loreto Convent in Darjeeling from where she completed her Senior Cambridge in 1960...
, 21, born in Thimphu
Thimphu
Thimphu also spelt Thimpu, is the capital and largest city of Bhutan. It is situated in the western central part of Bhutan and the surrounding valley is one of Bhutan's dzongkhags, the Thimphu District. The city became the capital of Bhutan in 1961...
on 4 June 1990. They were married on 13 October 2011 in Punakha Dzong
Punakha Dzong
The Punakha Dzong, also known as Pungtang Dechen Photrang Dzong is the administrative centre of Punakha dzongkhag in Punakha, Bhutan. Constructed by Zhabdrung Ngawang Namgyal in 1637–38, it is the second oldest and second largest dzong in Bhutan and one of its most majestic structures...
. The royal wedding was Bhutan's largest media event in history. The royal wedding ceremony was held first in Punakha followed by formal visits to different parts of the country. During the ceremony the King also received the Crown of the Druk Gyal-tsuen from the sacred Machhen and bestowed it on Jetsun Pema, thereby formally proclaiming her as the Queen of the Kingdom of Bhutan. The wedding was held in traditional style with the "blessings of the guardian deities".
Education
After completing his higher secondary studies at Yangchenphu Higher Secondary School, Bhutan, Khesar studied abroad at Phillips AcademyPhillips Academy
Phillips Academy is a selective, co-educational independent boarding high school for boarding and day students in grades 9–12, along with a post-graduate year...
in Andover, Massachusetts
Andover, Massachusetts
Andover is a town in Essex County, Massachusetts, United States. It was incorporated in 1646 and as of the 2010 census, the population was 33,201...
, Cushing Academy
Cushing Academy
Cushing Academy is a coeducational college preparatory boarding school for grades 9 through 12 plus an optional postgraduate year located in Ashburnham, Massachusetts. It was founded in 1865 in fulfilment of a bequest by Thomas Parkman Cushing and opened in 1875, and is sometimes cited as the...
and Wheaton College in Massachusetts
Massachusetts
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...
, United States, before graduating from Magdalen College
Magdalen College, Oxford
Magdalen College is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England. As of 2006 the college had an estimated financial endowment of £153 million. Magdalen is currently top of the Norrington Table after over half of its 2010 finalists received first-class degrees, a record...
, University of Oxford
University of Oxford
The University of Oxford is a university located in Oxford, United Kingdom. It is the second-oldest surviving university in the world and the oldest in the English-speaking world. Although its exact date of foundation is unclear, there is evidence of teaching as far back as 1096...
, where he completed the Foreign Service Programme and International Relations.
As Crown Prince, he travelled abroad, officially representing Bhutan on several occasions and has an active role in numerous cultural, educational and economic organisations. He is an active basketball player and has represented Bhutan in many international events.
Ascension to the throne
In December 2005, King Jigme Singye WangchuckJigme Singye Wangchuck
Jigme Singye Wangchuck is the former King of Bhutan. He was the fourth Dragon King of Bhutan from 1972 until his abdication in favour of his eldest son, Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck, in 2006...
announced his intention to abdicate in his son's favour in 2008, and that he would begin handing over responsibility to him immediately. On 14 December 2006, the King abdicated and transferred the throne to Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck who was officially crowned on 6 November 2008, in the month of the male earth rat, in Punakha
Punakha
thumb|right|Punakha Dzong and the [[Mo Chhu]]Punakha is the administrative centre of Punakha dzongkhag, one of the 20 districts of Bhutan. Punakha was the capital of Bhutan and the seat of government until 1955, when the capital was moved to Thimphu. It is about 72 km away from Thimphu and it...
. Religious ceremonies and public celebrations were also held at Tashichhoedzong and Changlingmithang in Thimphu
Thimphu
Thimphu also spelt Thimpu, is the capital and largest city of Bhutan. It is situated in the western central part of Bhutan and the surrounding valley is one of Bhutan's dzongkhags, the Thimphu District. The city became the capital of Bhutan in 1961...
. The coronation
Coronation
A coronation is a ceremony marking the formal investiture of a monarch and/or their consort with regal power, usually involving the placement of a crown upon their head and the presentation of other items of regalia...
ceremony comprised an ancient and colourful ritual, attended by thousands of foreign dignitaries, including the President of India
President of India
The President of India is the head of state and first citizen of India, as well as the Supreme Commander of the Indian Armed Forces. President of India is also the formal head of all the three branches of Indian Democracy - Legislature, Executive and Judiciary...
, Pratibha Patil
Pratibha Patil
Pratibha Devisingh Patil is the 12th President of the Republic of India and first woman to hold the office. She was sworn in as President of India on 25 July 2007, succeeding Dr. A.P.J...
, and the External Affairs Minister S.M.Krishna.
CNN
CNN
Cable News Network is a U.S. cable news channel founded in 1980 by Ted Turner. Upon its launch, CNN was the first channel to provide 24-hour television news coverage, and the first all-news television channel in the United States...
reported that, in order to welcome Khesar as King of Bhutan, people painted the street signs, hung festive banners and decorated traffic circles with fresh flowers to celebrate the occasion.
Accomplishments as king
The young king began his reign overseeing the democratizationDemocratization
Democratization is the transition to a more democratic political regime. It may be the transition from an authoritarian regime to a full democracy, a transition from an authoritarian political system to a semi-democracy or transition from a semi-authoritarian political system to a democratic...
of his country by presiding over the last sessions of the parliament
Parliament of Bhutan
The Parliament of Bhutan consists of the King of Bhutan together with a bicameral parliament.Constitution: Art. 1, § 3; Art. 10 This bicameral parliament is made up of an upper house, the National Council and a lower house, the National Assembly.Constitution: Art. 11; Art...
where electoral laws, land reform and other important issues were deliberated. He stated that the responsibility of this generation for Bhutanese was to ensure the success of democracy. He also travelled extensively around the country to encourage participation in the upcoming democratic exercises, speaking mainly to the youth of Bhutan on the need for Bhutanese to strive for greater standards in education, business, civil service and the need for people of a small country to work harder than those of others.
He signed a new treaty of friendship with India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
in February 2007, replacing the treaty of 1949. Many government initiatives were undertaken by the new King with a view to strengthening the system in preparation for the democratic changes in 2008. The Constitution of the Kingdom of Bhutan was adopted on 18 July 2008, by the first elected parliament. On 1 November 2008, he was formally crowned in Punakha as the Fifth King of the Wangchuck Dynasty.
Since the formal coronation, King Jigme Khesar's first landmark project was the launching of the National Cadastral Resurvey in March 2009. The programme is aimed at resolving long-standing land issues of excess land that affects every Bhutanese household.
The King has also been giving away land to landless farmers around the country. The on-going project takes the King to remote villages and communities. He personally supervised the rebuilding efforts following major earthquakes and floods in 2009.
On 24 November 2011 The King was called to the Bar of England and Wales at the Honourable Society of the Inner Temple and was also made an Honorary Master of the Bench.
Popularity abroad
As Crown Prince of Bhutan, Khesar attended ThaiThailand
Thailand , officially the Kingdom of Thailand , formerly known as Siam , is a country located at the centre of the Indochina peninsula and Southeast Asia. It is bordered to the north by Burma and Laos, to the east by Laos and Cambodia, to the south by the Gulf of Thailand and Malaysia, and to the...
King Bhumibol Adulyadej
Bhumibol Adulyadej
Bhumibol Adulyadej is the current King of Thailand. He is known as Rama IX...
's 60th Anniversary Celebrations on 12–13 June 2006 in Bangkok
Bangkok
Bangkok is the capital and largest urban area city in Thailand. It is known in Thai as Krung Thep Maha Nakhon or simply Krung Thep , meaning "city of angels." The full name of Bangkok is Krung Thep Mahanakhon Amon Rattanakosin Mahintharayutthaya Mahadilok Phop Noppharat Ratchathani Burirom...
along with royals from 25 countries. Known in the Thai press as Prince Jigme, the prince, at 26 the youngest of the visiting royals, caused a sensation, giving rise to a legion of female fans in Thailand. The Thai press dubbed him "Prince Charming
Prince Charming
Prince Charming is a stock character who appears in a number of fairy tales. He is the prince who comes to rescue of the damsel in distress, and stereotypically, must engage in a quest to liberate her from an evil spell...
", publishing his photograph and running stories about him as well as tourism in Bhutan for several weeks after he had left Thailand. When he became king, he was the youngest reigning monarch in the world, and because of his handsome appearance, he has been called, "The world's most handsome king."
Styles
- 1980–2004: His Royal Highness Dasho Jigme Khesar Namgyal Wangchuck
- 2004–2006: His Royal Highness Chhoetse Penlop Jigme Khesar Namgyal Wangchuck
- 2006–present:
- Internationally: His MajestyHis MajestyHis Majesty, or, The Court of Vingolia is an English comic opera in two acts with dialogue by F. C. Burnand, lyrics by R. C. Lehmann, additional lyrics by Adrian Ross and music by Alexander Mackenzie....
The King of Bhutan, or, HM King Jigme Khesar Namgyal Wangchuck - In Bhutan: Druk Gyalpo Jigme Khesar Namgyal Wangchuck, Mang-pos Bhur-ba'i rgyalpo,
- Internationally: His Majesty