Fifth King of Bhutan – Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck

 
 Fifth King of Bhutan – Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck
Fifth King of Bhutan – Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck was born in February 1980 to King Jigme SIngye Wangchuck and Queen Tshering Yangdon Wangchuck. He was educated in Bhutan, the US, and the UK. Trained from an early age to be King by his father, King Khesar, as he is popularly known, was well prepared to take the helm of kingship when his turn came.His father, saying that a new king must not be crowned when the nation is mourning for the old King, stepped down from the throne in 2006, and announced that his son would be crowned King.King Khesar was officially coronated in 2008, which was an auspicious year, coinciding with a hundred years of monarchy since 1907, and also the year in which Bhutan would elect its first democratic leaders.

Travel Bhutan talks about the popularity of the Fifth King of Bhutan – Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck He was already popular as a caring monarch with the people, who accepted him wholeheartedly as the successor to their beloved Fourth King.King Khesar’s charismatic personality also gained him huge popularity outside Bhutan. When he visited Thailand to attend the Thai King Bhumibol’s 60th anniversary, he earned rockstar status with the Thai people, who admired his good looks, and also his humility and noble bearing.Recently, his visit to Japan following the disastrous Tsunami, touched the hearts of the Japanese people as well.So it was no surprise when, during his coronation, people turned up in huge numbers to greet the young King, lining the streets from Punakha to Thimphu, with the hope to catch a glimpse of their new King. And given the personality of King Khesar, it was not surprising, too, that he was not content with waving at his subjects from his car, but stepped out, and walked almost the entire way back, greeting and thanking each and every person who had come.Following the coronation, too, 

he kept up this practice of meeting with the people – he traveled for days into the most remote corners of the country, and spoke to every person who came to meet him. He visited the homes of his poorest people, and offered love and support and kidu, (royal assistance, which is the prerogative of the King).In the democratic system, the roe of the king has evolved- he is not the head of the government, and this enables him to do what all the previous Kings always wished to do- help the people directly, and make their lives better.King Khesar continues to do just this- supporting the education of hundreds of children, setting up a network of trained volunteers who would assist people during disasters, personally visiting and helping victims of disasters, giving land as Kidu to the landless, and inviting ordinary people from various fields, whenever he has the time, to the palace, to better communicate with all the people in the country.