Jetsun Pema

Some Lesser Known Facts About Jetsun Pema

• Jetsun Pema is the queen (Dragon Queen) of the kingdom of Bhutan and the wife of King Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck. After getting married to the King of Bhutan, she became one of the youngest queens in the world. She is the second eldest of five siblings. She received her formal education from Bhutan, India, and Britain, and she is fluent in Dzongkha (the official language of Bhutan), Hindi, and English.

  

• The royal secretariat considers Pema a commoner. Apparently, Jetsun Pema’s family had long term links with the Royal family of Bhutan even before her marriage. Her paternal great-grandfather, Tashigang Dzongpon Thinley Topgay, who was popularly known as ‘Sey Dophola,’ was lord of the eastern province of Tashigang. ’ Dhondup was a North Point school graduate who later graduated from Sherubtse College, Kanglung where he met his wife, Aum Sonam Choki, who is the daughter of Dasho Thinley Namgyal from Pangtoe Goemba, Bumthang, and Aum Rinchen from Chorten Nyinpo-Chumbi at Chumey, Bumthang. She is the goddaughter of His Royal Highness Prince Namgyel Wangchuck, and her father is the half brother of their late majesties, Mayum Phuntsho Choden and Mayum Pema Dechan.

•  As a child, Jetsun aspired to become an architect and while growing up, her interest kept varying. She was a keen basketball player, and she captained her school basketball team at Lungtenzampa school in class 9th and 10th. Even after her marriage, she didn’t lose her interest in the game. She has interests in arts and music as well. While studying in the UK, she paid frequent visits to the art museums in London, she admired both, modern and the renaissance art. Along with this, she has a taste in music also, and she is fond of listening to Namgay Jigs.

• In 2011,  at the opening of the 7th session of the Parliament of Bhutan, The King announced his marriage in October to the nation. He announced,
  

  As King, it is time for me to marry. After much thought, I have decided that the wedding shall be later this year. Now, many will have their own idea of what a Queen should be like – that she should be uniquely beautiful, intelligent and graceful. I think with experience and time, one can grow into a dynamic person in any walk of life with the right effort. What is most important for Queen,  is that at all times, as an individual, she must be a good human being, and as Queen, she must be unwavering in her commitment to serve the people and country. As my queen, I have found such a person and her name is Jetsun Pema. While she is young, she is warm and kind in heart and character. These qualities together with the wisdom that will come with age and experience will make her a great servant to the nation.”

• Jetsun Pema and King Jigme’s story is more like a fairy tale romance. In 1997, it is said that they both first changed their glances at a very young age during a family picnic. At that time, Jetsun was only 7, and King Khesar was 17. They played all day long, and Jetsun came up to Khesar, gave him a hug, and asked him to marry her to which Khesar replied,
  

  When you grow up, if I am single and not married and if you are single and not married, I would like you to be my wife.”

  After 14 years, both met again, and ultimately, they got married on 13 October 2011 at Puna Dewachen Phodrang in Punakha in a traditional Buddhist ceremony, and Jetsun became the Queen of Bhutan. The grand traditional ceremony was celebrated as a three-day-long festival in the country and was broadcast on state television and around the world, making it the largest media event in Bhutan’s history. Moreover, the wedding was attended by many renowned persons across the globe, such as the Indian Ambassador to Bhutan Pavan K Varma, the West Bengal Governor M K Narayanan, Rahul Gandhi, and members of the Royal Family of Bhutan.

  

  

  

• After King’s announcement about his marriage, many people questioned his decision of getting married to Pema as they considered her a commoner, and they were sceptical about the age gap of 10 years between the two; however, after he announced his engagement in 2011, stating that she had all the qualities required to be a queen, and the country would be very fortunate to have her as the queen, the people, ultimately, supported his choice.

• Within a short interval, the queen became much loved by the Bhutanese, and they started liking her as they found her very compatible with the king and idolised her for her elegance and simplicity.

• Although polygamy is accepted in Bhutan, and the present King’s father has four wives as he married the four sisters together, the fifth King, Khesar, has denied of having any extra marriage, and he has acclaimed his love for Pema by stating that he will never marry another woman, and Jetsun Pema will be his only wife forever. It has been observed that the wives of the previous king (father of King Khesar) have always walked a step or two behind the king, whereas King Khesar and his wife, Queen Pema, always walk together hand in hand. Until 1999, Bhutan was a country that did not allow any foreign television broadcasts and incidents of public displays of affection were uncommon in the country, but the Royal couple has amended this tradition. King Jigme is often seen displaying public affection, and it has been very well received by the public. They have set a benchmark for the youth to follow.

  

• In April 2016, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge were welcomed by the King and the Queen of Bhutan when they were on a royal visit to Bhutan. During the visit, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge addressed the King and the Queen of Bhutan as the “Will and Kate of the Himalayas.”

  

• After their marriage, Ritu Kumar, a well known Indian fashion designer, designed her wardrobe. She said,
  

  she is not just ethereal, she combines sweetness with maturity.”

  With respect to the queen’s personality, Kumar designed kiras (traditional skirts) out of Banarasi, kimkhab, chikankari, lace, and dhup-chhaya fabrics for the queen. She is also considered as a fashion icon in the country because of her traditional outfits and modern styling.

  

  The beautiful silks and finely embroidered designs of every colour of the rainbow that she wears have made her look more attractive. She is mainly observed wearing locally designed Bhutanese fashions; moreover, during the royal couple’s visit to the UK in November 2011, the Bhutanese beauty attracted the British public with her modern, flattering style, and classic looks.

  

   

• Her majesty experienced motherhood by giving birth to her first child on 5 February 2016, a son, His Royal Highness Gyalsey Jigme Namgyel Wangchuck. His birth was widely celebrated in the country by planting 108,000 tree saplings. A volunteer, Dasho Karma Raydi, assisted in planting the trees, in an interview, he said,
  

  We are now nurturing the plants as if we are nurturing the little prince.”

  

  Later, in 2020, the couple was blessed with another baby boy. The news about the birth of their second child was shared on the nation’s 112th National Day celebration on 17 December 2019.

•  After becoming the Queen of Bhutan, she travelled a lot along with the King of Bhutan. She has accompanied the king on various trips abroad to India, Singapore, Japan, and the United Kingdom. They are often seen travelling to the countryside and interacting with the locals.
  

  

  

•  The queen is known to perform all her duties with real passion and cause. She is the Royal Patron of several organizations that work for the conservation of the environment and persons with disabilities. She also supports cottage-based entrepreneurs and rural economic projects.

• In 2015, Gyaltsuen Jetsun Pema Mother and Child Hospital, a 150-bedded woman and child hospital, was built in the honour of the queen. This hospital in Thimphu serves to all the maternal related health services. Queen Jetsun Pema initiated the first Epidural Labour Analgesia Services in Bhutan for women who would like to opt this facility during labour pain. Since 2016, she has been serving as the President of the Bhutan Red Cross Society (BRCS). She is also the UNEP Ozone Ambassador.