Baby joy for the King and Queen of Bhutan as they welcome their third child together
The couple have welcomed their first daughter together. They already share sons Jigme Namgyel Wangchuck, seven, and Jigme Ugyen Wangchuck, three
By Stephanie Bridger-Linning
Thimphu: Congratulations are in order for the King and Queen of Bhutan, who have welcomed their third child together, a daughter. The couple already share sons Jigme Namgyel Wangchuck, seven, and Jigme Ugyen Wangchuck, three.
Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck, 43, whose official title is the Dragon King of Bhutan, and his wife, Jetsun Pema, 33, the Dragon Queen (dubbed ‘the Kate Middleton of the Himalayas’), announced the happy news on Instagram.
The statement reads: ‘We are honoured to share the wonderful news that a healthy baby girl has been born to Their Majesties, The Druk Gyalpo and Gyaltsuen today, coinciding with the 25th day of the 7th month of the Female Water Rabbit Year, in Lingkana Palace, Thimphu. Both Her Majesty and the Royal baby are doing well. The new-born Princess is the third child and first daughter of Their Majesties. Their Majesties extend their heartfelt gratitude to the medical team of dedicated doctors and nurses, the Zhung Dratshang for all the prayers conducted and to everyone for their well wishes.’
The couple announced the pregnancy in June, shortly after the King and Queen of Bhutan attended the coronation of King Charles III and Queen Camilla. The queen then made the journey to Jordan for the royal wedding of Crown Prince Hussein and Princess Rajwa.
The king, who was educated in America and completed the Diplomatic Studies Programme at Magdalen College, Oxford, is the eldest son of Jigme Singye Wangchuck, the fourth Dragon King, and his third wife, Tshering Yangdon. The former king has four wives and 10 children, meaning the current king has two siblings, as well as four half-sisters and three half-brothers.
The current Dragon King of Bhutan was crowned in December 2008, two years after the abdication of his father, who remains alive. In 2011, the eyes of the country – and the world – were on Bhutan as he married his distant cousin, Jetsun Pema, who attended school in Bhutan and India before graduating from Regent’s University London.
The couple welcomed their eldest son, believed to be the world’s youngest heir to the throne, at Lingkana Palace in Thimphu, on 5 February 2016. On his birth, the young prince displaced his uncle Prince Jigyel Ugyen of Bhutan as heir to the throne. His name was officially revealed two months later. Up until that point, he was known publicly as ‘the Gyalsey’ or ‘the prince’. Their younger son, Jigme Ugyen Wangchuck, was born in June 2020.
Both princes play a starring role in their parents’ curated social media presence – no doubt soon they’ll be joined by their baby sister.
