Prince William, Kate Middleton To Meet Their Counterparts King Jigme And Queen Jetsun In Bhutan

Prince William and his wife Kate Middleton who will pay a two-day visit to Bhutan as part of their India-Bhutan tour reportedly have a lot in common with their Bhutanese royal counterparts. William and Kate will meet King Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck and Queen Jetsun Pema, who are popularly known as the Will and Kate of the Himalayas. The British royal couple will meet the Dragon King and Queen of Bhutan for the first time.

The 36-year-old King Jigme and his wife Jetsun, 25, both studied at Regent's College in England. The queen studied international relations, psychology and art history, just like Kate, while Jigme graduated from Oxford University after studying at Wheaton College in the United States.

Both Jetsun Pema and Kate have a connection with airlines. The Bhutan queen’s father, Dhondup Gyaltshen, worked as an airline pilot, according to the Washington Post. Meanwhile, Kate’s father Michael Middleton worked as a flight dispatcher while her mother, Carole, was a flight attendant before starting their party supply company, Party Pieces.

Both the royal couples fell in love first, before getting hitched. Will and Kate met and fell in love while studying at the University of St. Andrews in Scotland. Not much is known about the romance between the Bhutanese royals, but it is believed that Jigme and Jetsun lived together for eight months before getting married. Jetsun Pema was 21 years old at the time of her marriage.

William and Kate, after their wedding in 2011, stepped out onto the balcony at Buckingham Palace and shared a sweet kiss. However, PDA is uncommon in conservative Bhutan, which is why it was so special when Jigme and Jetsun shared a smooch following their wedding ceremony in October 2011. While presenting Jetsun Pema to the public after their wedding ceremony, Jigme gave her a peck on the cheek, but then took things one step further when he asked the gathered crowd of 30,000 spectators if he should kiss her on the lips.

After huge cheer from the royal fans, the couple shared a sweet kiss. According to Hello, Jigme is a modern royal and has raised the international profile of his country with state visits to Thailand, Japan, England and India. He and his wife are helping boost the country’s profile.

Both the couples also use social media for official announcements. Jigme and Jetsun have not yet revealed the name of their first child, who is now known as “The Gyalsey” and was born on Feb. 5. It is in keeping with Bhutanese tradition.

Kate and Jetsun both are style icons in their respective countries. Jetsun and Jigme always dress in colorful, eye-catching outfits. The queen is popular for her colorful kira, the traditional outfit for women in Bhutan.

However, the royal couple opted for western outfits during their visit to Clarence House in England in 2011.