Coronation for Bhutan king

Bhutan has a new king after a lavish ceremony full of pomp and tradition in the remote Himalayan kingdom.

King Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck, 28 and Oxford educated, takes the ‘Raven Crown’ becoming Bhutan’s fifth dragon king.

He is the world’s youngest monarch of the world’s youngest democracy.

The tiny Buddist state, which became a constitutional monarchy this year, finds itself perched between China and India.

In 2006, King Wangchuck’s father abdicated, as part of a five year plan to introduce democracy to Bhutan.

In March, elections for a new Prime Minister and Parliament were held for the first time.

The former king, 52 year-old Jigme Singye Wangchuck, is widely credited for bringing Bhutan into the modern era.

He is also the architect of Bhutan’s national philosophy, Gross National happiness. The idea that spiritual well-being matters as much as money, and that material gain should not come at the expense of the environment or culture.

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