After the royal wedding of William and Kate, it is now the turn of the tiny Himalayan kingdom of Bhutan to celebrate the wedding of their fifth "Dragon King."

The 31-year-old monarch, Jigme Khesar Namgyal Wangchuck, is all set to marry his lady-love, Jetsun Pema, in a three-day celebration starting Thursday.

Khesar was officially crowned the king of Bhutan on Nov. 1, 2008. However, it was only on May 20, 2011 that he announced his engagement to 21-year-old Pema during a parliament session.

The couple will be married in one of the most sacred monastery fortresses in the country's old capital of Punakha Thursday morning. Unlike Khesar's father, who had four wives, the current king announced that he will have only one wife.


Bhutan’s “Dragon King,” its charming, American- and British-educated and immensely popular monarch, married his longtime girlfriend Thursday, kicking off three days of celebration in this tiny Himalayan country.


Bhutan’s “Dragon King,” its charming, American- and British-educated and immensely popular monarch, married his longtime girlfriend Thursday, kicking off three days of celebration in this tiny Himalayan country.



Bhutanese children perform during a full dress rehearsal, for the royal wedding of King of Bhutan Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck and his fiancee Jetsun Pema, in Thimphu on October 11, 2011. (Getty)



Bhutanese artists wait their turn to perform a traditional dance during a full dress rehearsal, for the royal wedding of King of Bhutan Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck and his fiancee Jetsun Pema, in Thimphu on October 11, 2011. (Getty)


Bhutanese greet Bhutan's Prime Minister Jigme Y. Thinley (R) during a full dress rehearsal, for the royal wedding of King of Bhutan Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck and his fiancee Jetsun Pema, in Thimphu on October 11, 2011. Bhutan's king, 'prince charming of the Himalayas,' is set to marry on October 15 at what promises to be an emotional moment for the 700,000 adoring subjects of his isolated nation. The main wedding ceremony takes place in a stunning 17th-century fortress surrounded by mountains and built at the confluence of two fast-running rivers in the ancient capital Punakha. (Getty)


A Bhutanese worker hangs lights on the portrait of the future King Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck, and Queen of Bhutan Ashi Jetsun Pema Wangchuck as Bhutan prepares for the royal wedding October 11, 2011, in Thimphu, Bhutan. (Getty)


Souvenir badges of future King Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck, and Queen of Bhutan Ashi Jetsun Pema Wangchuck on sale at a crafts fair as Bhutan prepares for the royal wedding on October 12, 2011, in Thimphu, Bhutan. His majesty King Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck, 31, will wed Jetsun Pema, 21, on October 13 in the historical Punakha Dzong, the same venue that hosted the King's historical coronation ceremony in 2008. The Oxford-educated king is popular in the country and the ceremony will be followed by celebrations in the capital and nationwide. (Getty)



In this May 7, 2011, photo provided by Bhutan's Royal Office for Media, 20-year-old Jetsun Pema, fiancee of Bhutan's 31-year-old monarch, Jigme Khesar Namgyal Wangchuck, poses for photographs in Thimphu, Bhutan. (AP)


In this May 7, 2011, photo provided by Bhutan's Royal Office for Media, Bhutan's 31-year-old Oxford-educated monarch, Jigme Khesar Namgyal Wangchuck, left, poses with his fiance, 20-year-old Jetsun Pema, a student at London's Regent College, in Thimphu, Bhutan. "As king, it is now time to marry," Wangchuck said Friday, May 20, 2011 at the end of an address to Bhutan's parliament in the capital, Thimphu, that was also attended by members of the royal family and elected representatives. (AP)



THIMPHU, Bhutan — The royal wedding of the king of the tiny Himalayan kingdom of Bhutan to his commoner bride has begun with a procession of red-robed monks, the chants of welcome, the clanging of drums and the drone of long trumpets.

King Jigme Khesar Namgyal Wangchuck, 31, arrived at 8:20 a.m. Thursday at Bhutan's most sacred monastery fortress in the old capital of Punakha wearing the bright yellow sash of royalty. His bride, 21-year-old Jetsun Pema, followed a few minutes later, crossing a wooden footbridge over a wide, blue river beside the fort.

Once inside, the couple took part in a purification ceremony led by the nation's chief Buddhist cleric before moving to the temple for the main portion of the ceremony.










source: Huffingtonpost, Washingtonpost