Imagine a land forgotten by time, a land where houses dot the hillsides and mountains jet themselves upward, dipping their snowy heads in and out of the swirling storm of clouds floating just above. Bhutan, the name of this marvelous country nestled in the Himalayas, means “land of the thunder dragon”.
Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck is currently the fifth king of Bhutan. He rules his small modest himalayan kingdom with honor and pride. Jetsun Pema, his loving wife, stands proudly by his side. Jigme and Jetsun may come across as ordinary rulers, but the story of their love is not in the least bit ordinary. It’s a real life fairy tale, as enchanting as the magical country it took place in.
When the two lovers first met they were oblivious to the life they would one day lead. Jetsun was no older than the tender age of seven when she met the seventeen-year-old prince at a royal picnic. Jetsun was a typical Bhutanese girl, though her parents were well-known friends of the royal family. When they arrived at the picnic, Jetsun was overtaken by the stunningly handsome Jigme. Unlike the rest of her family, she was unaware that the fine boy she was staring at was the next heir to the throne. Snatching the prince by the arm, she innocently pulled her Romeo out of earshot and asked him to marry her. Jigme was stunned at first, but his surprise faded into amusement when he looked down at the little girl beaming with excitement. “Why do you want to marry me” he asked with some difficulty, feeling his cheeks turn pink. She simply replied in a cool voice, “because I like you.”
When Jigme was in his twenties and Jetsun was a teen they met three more times at royal events. Eventually a deep friendship began to develop and over the years turned more romantic. Jetsun, being so young when she had asked, nearly forgot about the marriage proposal. Little did she know the simple request had a significant place in the youthful prince’s heart. As the days, months, and years passed; Jigme recognized a strong love for Jetsun that one day lead to asking if she was still willing to be his bride. Jetsun, recalling her quite request at age seven, began laughing and announced that she would be honored to marry him.
On October 13, 2011, a huge celebration was held to honor their marriage. Jetsun wore the traditional Bhutanese ankle length skirt called a “kira.” This beautiful wedding skirt was made of raw silk, therefore taking many months to complete. King Jigme wore a “gho,” the male version of the traditional Bhutanese clothing. The gho closely resembles a robe, although the fabric only reaches your knees and is traditionally worn with black shoes and black knee-length socks. Jigme’s gho was yellow with delicately embroidered red flowers around the rim of the neck.
The wedding held much spiritual importance and many sacrifices of food and drink were made, blessing the couple with long life and happiness in their new relationship. During the wedding Jigme announced that even though his father had four wives, Jetsun would be his only wife and was irreplaceable in his heart.
In 2006 Jigme and Jetsun were honored with the gift of life and a baby boy was born to the royal couple. He was named Jigme after his father and will one day become the sixth great ruler of Bhutan. Jetsun and Jigme continue to live in happiness and their love for each other is still as strong as it was the day they first met. Jigme is very open about his love for Jetsun and often talks of his admiration for her at formal events. The couple is often seen holding hands in public and their happiness has made Bhutan an even more joyous country.
Every house, every restaurant has a picture of these two.