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.
Take a look at the festive preparations for the Bhutan royal wedding:
Bhutan's King Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck (L) and his fiancee Jetsun Pema pose in Bhutan in this undated handout released May 20, 2011. The young and dashing Bhutanese king on Friday announced his engagement to a commoner, sending his adoring subjects into rhapsody at the prospect of a grand wedding later this year in the last of the Himalayan kingdoms. Wangchuck, termed "Prince Charming" for his Elvis Presley looks, smiled as he named his bride, a 21-year-old student at London's Regents College, during his speech opening parliament.ReutersBhutanese men don traditional masks while taking part in a rehearsal ceremony ahead of the royal wedding of King Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck in Bhutan's capital Thimphu on October 11, 2011. The Bhutanese king is scheduled to wed his fiancee Jetsun Pema over a three-day ceremony starting in the ancient capital Punakha on October 13.ReutersBhutanese women wearing traditional costumes parepare to take part in a rehearsal ceremony ahead of the royal wedding of King Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck in Bhutan's capital Thimphu on October 11, 2011. The Bhutanese king is scheduled to wed his fiancee Jetsun Pema over a three-day ceremony starting in the ancient capital Punakha on October 13.ReutersBhutanese men in traditional costumes take part in a rehearsal ceremony at the Changlimithang Stadium, ahead of the royal wedding of King Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck in Bhutan's capital Thimphu on October 11, 2011. The Bhutanese king is scheduled to wed his fiancee Jetsun Pema over a three-day ceremony starting in the ancient capital Punakha on October 13.ReutersA school girl shows off a pin, with the images of King Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck and his fiancee Jetsun Pema, while taking part in a rehearsal ceremony ahead of the royal wedding in Bhutan's capital Thimphu on October 11, 2011. The Bhutanese king is scheduled to wed his fiancee Jetsun Pema over a three-day ceremony starting in the ancient capital Punakha on October 13.ReutersA portrait of Bhutan's King Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck and his fiancee Jetsun Pema is seen pictured in a roundabout in the capital Thimphu October 11, 2011. The Bhutanese king is scheduled to wed his fiancee Jetsun Pema over a three-day ceremony starting in the ancient capital Punakha on October 13.ReutersMen hang a portrait of King Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck and his fiancee Jetsun Pema on an archway in Bhutan's capital Thimphu October 12, 2011. The Bhutanese king is scheduled to wed his fiancee Jetsun Pema over a three-day ceremony starting in the ancient capital Punakha on October 13.ReutersMen carry a portrait of King Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck and his fiancee Jetsun Pema while searching for a location to display the image in an office building in Bhutan's capital Thimphu on October 12, 2011. The Bhutanese king is scheduled to wed his fiancee Jetsun Pema over a three-day ceremony starting in the ancient capital Punakha on October 13.ReutersAn elderly woman looks out of a balcony in Bhutan's capital Thimphu on October 12, 2011. The Bhutanese king is scheduled to wed his fiancee Jetsun Pema over a three-day ceremony starting in the ancient capital Punakha on October 13.ReutersBhutan's King Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck sits in the throne room during his coronation ceremony inside Tashichhodzong Palace in Thimphu November 6, 2008. With medieval tradition and Buddhist spirituality, a 28-year-old with an Oxford education assumed the Raven Crown of Bhutan on Thursday, to guide the world's newest democracy as it emerges into the modern world.Reuters
