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Bhutan King Wangchuk Marries Commoner
BBC NEWS, SOUTH ASIA
October 13, 2011: The 31-year-old king of the Himalayan nation of Bhutan has married his commoner bride in a Buddhist ceremony at a 17th Century monastery. The British-educated Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck came down from his throne to place a crown upon the head of 20-year-old student Jetsun Pema.
As the monks chanted, the king returned to the seat and Ms Pema sat upon the throne beside him as the new queen. Wangchuck is widely revered in the country of some 700,000 people.
After a brief ceremony, the king and his bride held hands and walked into the monastery. An hour of blessings and prayers marked the marriage ceremony, reports said.
The king educated in India and Britain took over after the abdication in 2006 of his father, who began the country's democratic transition. In March 2008, Bhutan became a constitutional monarchy and the king relinquished his absolute powers.
