Bhutan

Happy Birthday to the Dragon King!

On February 21st, King Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck turned 39. All good wishes have been sent his way, as well as thanks for giving a great excuse to post some photos of some beautiful people and some beautiful fabric.

Here we have the king wearing the traditional yellow scarf of the monarch.

Random History of The Day, Facebook

In October 2011, the King married his longtime girlfriend Jetsun Pema making her the Dragon Queen. (Click the black arrows on the images so you can see a few in slideshow format.)

Embed from Getty Images

In February 2016, the couple welcomed their first child, a son named Jigme Namgyel Wangchuck, the Dragon Prince of Bhutan.

National Day 2017, courtesy of the King’s Facebook page

April 2018, courtesy of the King’s Facebook page

I mean just LOOK at those colors!

Attending a school’s flower exhibition in April 2018, courtesy of the King’s Facebook page

Another gorgeous photo from February 2018, courtesy of the King’s Facebook page.

And finally, because it’s cute and gosh darn it, I couldn’t resist…

From the same trip shown above to the monastery in February 2018, courtesy of the King’s Facebook page.

A nice bit of color and scenery on this Friday morning. I find this particular royal family intriguing as they (or their administration) is very media savvy and yet Bhutanese traditions are highly important with some being sacred. An interesting mix of approaches in a time where their country has higher visibility in the world than ever before.