Life in the royal palace of Bhutan: the Dragon king, queen, and their three children

They are Asia's youngest and most glamorous monarchs: King Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck and Queen Jetsun Pema of Bhutan. Royalty watchers all over the world follow their wondrous lifestyle and cheerful nature. In 2023, the Dragon King and Queen welcomed a new princess to their family.

The new member of the Royal family of Bhutan is the baby girl Sonam Yangden Wangchuck.

Picture: Royal Family of Bhutan / Facebook

Sonam was born on September 9, 2023. She is third in line to inherit the throne, preceded by her two brothers Crown Prince Jigme Namgyel Wangchuck and Jigme Ugyen Wangchuck.

Photo: Queen Jetsun Pema / Instagram

The naming ceremony was held in Tashichhodzong on the anniversary of His Majesty's accession to the Throne in 2006. The name Sonam means merit, longevity, and good fortune. The second name Yangden means 'precious jewel,' 'prosperity,' and 'well-being.'

Photo: Queen Jetsun Pema / Instagram

The second prince of the family, Ugyen, was born on March 19, 2020, at the height of the coronavirus pandemic. He poses in official photographs of the family along with his older brother.

Picture: Royal Family of Bhutan/ Facebook

For the first months of his life, the little prince's name was unknown. The royal family traditionally hides the name of a newborn until they attend a Buddhist naming ceremony. The Trelda Tsechu prayer ceremony of June 30, 2020, was the day that we learned how to call the prince: Jigme Ugyen Wangchuck, or in short: Ugyen.

Photo: Royal Family of Bhutan/ Facebook

Prince Ugyen and Princess Sonam have an older brother: Prince Jigme Namgyel Wangchuck, the heir apparent of the Kingdom of Bhutan. The eldest prince was born on February 5, 2016.

Picture: Royal Family of Bhutan/ Facebook

The life of their parents, the young King and Queen of Bhutan, is one of wonders, ceremony, and glamour. Jetsun Pema, born in 1990, is considered one of the most beautiful queens in the world. Some people call her the Kate Middleton of Asian royalty.

Picture: Royal Family of Bhutan / Facebook

King Jigme Khesar and Queen Jetsun live in the Lingkana palace in Thimphu, the capital of the small country of Bhutan. It's a unique society, never colonized, with one of the smallest populations in South Asia (750,000 people). Its culture is defined by the religious practices of Buddhism.

Photo: Royal Family of Bhutan / Facebook

Landlocked between Tibet and India, Bhutan used to be a stop on the Silk Road. Its rugged mountains can reach up to 7,000 meters (23,000 feet) while it also has luscious valleys and subtropical forests. Some of the country's local names include 'Dark Southland' (Lho Mon) and 'Southland of the Cypress' (Lho Tsendenjong).

Photo: Royal Family of Bhutan / Facebook

The nation had no currency until the 1960s and no TV or internet until 1999. The father of King Jigme Khesar had prohibited television "to protect traditional Bhutanese values," The Guardian says. Despite that rule, or maybe because of it, Bhutan has been considered one of the happiest countries in the world.

Bhutan is remarkably isolated. Tourism is very limited there. (If you're thinking about going: a visa costs between 200 and 250 dollars per day, including accommodation, meals, and transportation. It's all regulated by the government and its own travel agencies.)

The King of Bhutan posted this image of the remote Tshojong village in Tenchey, at 4,100 meters altitude, on his Facebook page.

King Jigme Khesar took over the reign from his father, Jigme Singye Wangchuk, in 2008. The Wangchuk dynasty has ruled the country since the late 19th century. Here the Royal Grandmother Ashi Kesang is portrayed.

With the transition from his father to Jigme Khesar, Bhutan changed its constitution and transitioned from an absolute to a parliamentary monarchy. The nation became a democracy in the 21st century. Through all of that, the king and his family have remained very popular among the Bhutanese people.

Picture: His Majesty King Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck / Facebook

In 2008, Prince Jigme Khesar was crowned King in an elaborate ceremony. His father had abdicated two years earlier, but the nation had to wait for astrologers to determine when the time was right for a ceremonial coronation.

Picture: His Majesty King Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck / Facebook

At the age of 28, Jigme Khesar became the second youngest king in the world. He had studied at Wheaton College in Massachusetts, US, and at Magdalen College in Oxford, UK, where he got a degree in politics and international relations. He had also traveled a lot in his own country and become close to his people.

Photo: His Majesty King Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck / Facebook

On the day itself, Bollywood stars and foreign statespeople like Indian President Pratibha Patil and party leader Sonia Gandhi attended the ceremony. "In an ancient Buddhist ritual in the white-walled palace overlooking the picturesque Thimphu valley, Wangchuck was handed Bhutan's Raven Crown by his father," France 24 reported. "The country now goes into three days and nights of festivities, and has even shut down its mobile telephone network for the occasion."

Image: Photo: His Majesty King Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck / Facebook (Sedrang by monks)

As a Crown Prince and then King, Jigme Khesar was an eligible young bachelor. Thai media even dubbed him "Prince Charming" and many others compared him to Elvis Presley because of his physique and hairdo.

When he was 17 years old, he'd met a 7-year-old girl in the countryside who said she wanted to marry him. Years later, that girl, Jetsun Pema, and the prince actually fell in love. He announced their engagement in May 2011. He was 31 and she was 21 years old.

Jetsun Pema is a commoner from a well-to-do family. Her father is a pilot and the grandson of a local governor. Her mother has remote ties with the royal family of Bhutan. Jetsun always moved around in high circles and met the crown prince at age 7. She always hoped to become his wife someday.

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The previous picture of his then-fiancée Jetsun Pema was taken by the king himself. He's a hobby photographer and snaps photos with his antique camera wherever he goes, Jetsun told her followers on Instagram.

In October 2011, it was the King himself who appeared in photos across the country. He and Jetsun Pema got married on the 13th. Their wedding was a media event as Bhutan had never seen it before.

The date of the wedding had been determined by the alignment of the stars and the zodiac signs of the bride and groom. It had to take place on the day after a full moon. During the ceremony, the King took the Phoenix Crown of the Druk Gyaltsuen (Dragon Queen) and crowned Jetsun Pema officially as the Queen of Bhutan.

It was the same year of William and Kate's marriage in the UK and Albert and Charlene's wedding in Monaco. The setting was very different, though. No representatives from other royal houses were invited and Buddhist monks led the ceremony.

Traditionally, Bhutanese monarchs have several wives. Jigme Khesar has renounced polygamy, however, and Jetsun Pema will be his only wife. He absolutely worships her, Vanity Fair and other media say. They share a love for art (Jetsun even has a BA in Art from Regent's College London) and both went to study in the UK.

Picture: Royal Family of Bhutan / Facebook

Bhutan is also known as the Dragon Kingdom. In its own language Dzongkha, the name of the country is even a little more dramatic: Drukyul, "the Land of the Thunder Dragon." The Bhutanese people call themselves the Dragon People.

The Dragon King and Queen have good ties to other royal houses, such as the Japanese and the British. In 2019, they attended the coronation of Japan's new emperor, Naruhito.

Having both studied in the UK, and reigning a country that has historically friendly ties with the British, the Dragon King and Queen get along well with Buckingham Palace. In 2016, Prince William and Kate Middleton visited the colorful kingdom of Bhutan.

Jetsun Pema is the equivalent of glamorous aristocratic women like Spain's Queen Letizia, Rania of Jordan, and Kate Middleton, Vanity Fair Spain says. Queen Jetsun's fashion is followed by her people as much as British media analyze the styles of Kate Middleton.

Although they entertain the highest royal guests and live a glamorous life, Jigme Khesar and Jetsun always make a lot of time to meet their people. One particular Bhutan citizen poses with Jigme Khesar every year at the Paro Tsechu festival: Kinley Gyaltshen. The king posted this collage of pictures on Facebook.

Picture: His Majesty King Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck / Facebook

On February 5, 2016, the royal couple had their first child. A boy, Jigme Namgyel Wangchuk, would be the heir to the crown of the Wangchuk dynasty.

Photo: queenjetsunpema / Instagram

The king and queen are crazy about their young son. They travel around to show him the country and teach him about important Buddhist and Hindu practices.

Photo: queenjetsunpema / Instagram

When the Japanese royal family came to visit, two boys with a great responsibility met each other. On the left, Crown Prince Hisahito of Japan, and on the right, Crown Prince Jigme Namgyel of Bhutan.

Picture: queenjetsunpema / Instagram

For a long time, the Crown Prince will be able to enjoy a relatively normal childhood though. His father and mother are still very young and could continue to rule Bhutan for decades. Meanwhile, they keep everyone in the Dragon Kingdom and the world posted through their strong presence on social media. A very modern royal couple indeed.

Picture: Royal Family of Bhutan / Facebook

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