Bhutan counts down to royal wedding
Wednesday, 12 October 2011
THIMPHU, Oct 11 (AFP): Bhutan's king, an Oxford graduate and "prince charming of the Himalayas", is set to marry Thursday at what promises to be an emotional moment for the 700,000 adoring subjects of his isolated nation.
Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck, 31, a mountain-biking fanatic and Elvis fan crowned in 2008, will wed a photogenic student 10 years his junior called Jetsun Pema, the daughter of an airline pilot.
The main wedding ceremony takes place Thursday in a stunning 17th-century fortress surrounded by mountains and built at the confluence of two fast-running rivers in the ancient capital Punakha.
The newlyweds appear in public for the first time Saturday at a sports stadium in the sleepy present-day capital Thimphu, where thousands of Bhutanese are expected to turn out in colourful national dress.