The Kate and Wills of the East: Duke and Duchess of Cambridge to leave Prince George and Princess Charlotte at home as they visit Himalayan rivals

  • This will be the first time the royal couple have visited Bhutan
  • Country nestles high in the Himalayas between India and China
  • Kate and William, both 33, will visit King Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck
  • His pregnant wife Jetsun Pema, 25, is due to give birth in Spring
  • Bhutan is a Buddhist country that measures wealth on happiness
  • Prince Charles and Prince Andrew have both visited country previously
  • See the latest Kate Middleton updates at www.dailymail.co.uk/kate   

She is known as the Dragon Queen and the most glamorous woman in the Orient.

He has been dubbed The Prince Charming of the Himalayas, a ruler with the populist touch who is known to invite his subjects into his home for tea and a chat.

And this spring the young King and Queen of Bhutan, dubbed the ‘William and Kate of the Orient’, will host the real Duke and Duchess of Cambridge on an official visit on behalf of the British Government.  

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge will be leaving their children, Prince George and Princess Charlotte, at home later this year as they make an official visit to Bhutan and India this spring

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge will be leaving their children, Prince George and Princess Charlotte, at home later this year as they make an official visit to Bhutan and India this spring

The hugely-anticipated visit will coincide with the couple’s previously announced tour of India and is likely to take place in April.

Revealed by Kensington Palace today it has already prompted much excitement in Bhutan (which means Land of the Thunder Dragon), a tiny and remote kingdom nestling in the Himalayas between India and China.

Although William and Kate are leaving their own children, Prince George and Princess Charlotte, behind when they embark on the trip, there will no doubt be much baby banter as the Bhutanese rulers are expecting their first child, a son, in a matter of weeks.

Royal aides say the Duke and Duchess are looking forward to the trip - their first - to such a ‘fascinating’ country.

Almost completely cut off for centuries, Bhutan did not get television until 1999, so fearful were its autocratic rulers of its pernicious influence, and did not welcome foreign visitors in 1974.

But it is also known as one of the most content countries in the world and measures its GDP is not in terms of pounds and pence but ‘Gross National Happiness’.

The present king’s father abdicated in 2008 and in doing so gave up his absolute power in favour of democracy, leaving his son, Jigme, a symbolic head of state.

Dragon King Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck and his wife, Queen Jetsun Pema, shared the first photo of her baby bump since announcing her pregnancy in November. Kate and William will arrive around the time she is due to give birth

Dragon King Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck and his wife, Queen Jetsun Pema, shared the first photo of her baby bump since announcing her pregnancy in November. Kate and William will arrive around the time she is due to give birth

But despite being little more than a figurehead, the new king has emerged from the shadow of his revered father to inspire devotion from his 700,000 subjects.

Educated in India and the US, after which he studied for a degree in political science and economics at Oxford, where he was known as a quiet, studious and reliable type, he has made a point of walking the length and breadth of the country meeting as many of his subjects as possible.

The Elvis fan and keen mountain biker has also been known to invite citizens around to his modest cottage and listen to their concerns.

He married student Jetsun Pema in October 2011, when she was just 21 – but was said to have proposed to her when she was just seven.

According to reports, the royal couple met at a family picnic in the capital Thimphu when the prince was 17.

He was so moved by hear beauty and inner goodness, he got down on his knees and said ‘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, provided we still feel the same,’ he told a group of students shortly before their wedding.

They married in a five-hour Buddhist ceremony in a 17th fortress, the young bride wearing a traditional wraparound skirt and ornate shoes, surrounded by red-robed monks.

Her groom came down from his throne to meet her, wearing the red Raven Crown which symbolises his role as ‘the people’s protector’, and honoured his wife with a silk brocade crown (depicting two Ja Tsherings or Phoenix birds to symbolise the blissful relationship between the two) as he proclaimed her the new Queen of Bhutan.

Often dubbed the ‘William and Kate of the Himalayas’, the even indulged in a brief balcony kiss after the ceremony, just like the British Duke and Duchess had when they married earlier the same year. 

The visit is being carried out at the request of Her Majesty's Government and will be the first time the royal couple have visited Bhutan, which nestles high in the Himalayas between India and China

The visit is being carried out at the request of Her Majesty's Government and will be the first time the royal couple have visited Bhutan, which nestles high in the Himalayas between India and China

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge's visit falls around the same time that Queen Jetsun is due to give birth to her first child, a son

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge's visit falls around the same time that Queen Jetsun is due to give birth to her first child, a son

He said afterwards: ‘She carried her responsibilities superbly well. I was very proud of her. She is a wonderful human being. Intelligent. She and I share one big thing in common: a love and a passion for art.’

Although many Bhutanese felt he was too old to be marrying at 31, the king said: ‘It doesn’t matter when you get married as long as it is the right person. I am certain I have married the right person.’

Indeed, unlike members of our own royal family the king does not attempt to hide his affection for his wife, holding her hand at official functions

It is also something of a revelation in Bhutan, whose rulers have always favoured polygamy. Indeed Jigme was one of ten siblings born to the former king and his four wives - who were all sisters.

The newly-weds eschewed a honeymoon in favour of travelling around Bhutan to introduce the new Queen to her subjects before embarking on a working holiday abroad, taking in Japan and London, where they met Prince Charles and the Duchess of Cornwall.

Happy news: Dragon King Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck and his wife, Queen Jetsun Pema, announced that they are expecting their first child

The couple announced that they were expecting a boy four years after they tied the knot, in October of 2011 (pictured)

Bhutan - a Buddhist country - measures wealth based on Gross National Happiness

Bhutan - a Buddhist country - measures wealth based on Gross National Happiness

When they married little was known about Jetsun, save that she was the daughter of an airline pilot who was education at the same secondary school as her future husband, albeit it at different times given their age difference.

She was captain of the school basketball team and someone who won prizes for public speaking, before spending some time in London where she studied international relations and, like Kate, she developed a keen interest in the arts.

Her family, however, has long enjoyed close links to the country’s ruling family. Her paternal great-grandfather was lord of the eastern province of Tashigang, and her maternal grandfather was the half-brother of the wife of Bhutan’s second king

Her delicate beauty and modest demeanour have already won the hearts of her people – and the arrival of the couple’s first child, in a few weeks’ time, will only seal her popularity.

Announcing the forthcoming royal visit yesterday, Kensington Palace said: ‘The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge will make an official visit to Bhutan this spring.

‘The visit is being carried out at the request of Her Majesty's Government and will be the first time Their Royal Highnesses have visited the country.’

It was also announced that Prince Harry will make a trip to Nepal in the spring too.  

While dating, their relationship made headlines when the King was openly affectionate with Jetsun - something that was unusual in the country

While dating, their relationship made headlines when the King was openly affectionate with Jetsun - something that was unusual in the country

In February 1998, the Prince visited Bhutan to to renew Britain’s long-standing relations and establish links with the Bhutanese Royal Family. 

Those links still remain and in May 2011 the Prince and the Duchess of Cornwall received The King and Queen of Bhutan, King Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck and Queen Jetsun Pema at their official residence in London, Clarence House. 

The Duke of York visited the country in March 2010. 

This is by no means the first overseas tour for the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, who visited Canada for the first time together soon after their wedding in 2011. 

The official Royal visit to Canada on behalf of The Queen took in eight cities from 30th June to 8th July 2011. It was the third visit for The Duke and the first for Her Royal Highness.

In 2012, The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge represented The Queen during Her Majesty's Diamond Jubilee by visiting Singapore, Malaysia, the Solomon Islands and Tuvalu.

On 7th April 2014, The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge with Prince George visited New Zealand and Australia as part of a three week tour.

In December 2014, The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge made a three day visit to the USA where he attended events in support of St Andrew's University and the British creativity industries in New York, and met President Obama and addresssed the World Bank on the issue of Conservation in Washington. 

Here comes the bride: He and his 25-year-old wife wed in 2011 when Jetsun was attending university in London

The 35-year-old King said he considers his unborn son 'extremely fortunate' because he will be born in Bhutan

Prince Charles takes a short rest at a Buddhist prayer temple to paint a watercolour in the Bhutan Himalayas while trekking up to the Tigers nest monastery in 1998

Prince Charles takes a short rest at a Buddhist prayer temple to paint a watercolour in the Bhutan Himalayas while trekking up to the Tigers nest monastery in 1998

The Prince of Wales leaves the Paro Dzong, in Paro Bhutan after an official reception in 1998. The Prince visited the tiny mountain country on the final leg of his three nation Asian tour

The Prince of Wales leaves the Paro Dzong, in Paro Bhutan after an official reception in 1998. The Prince visited the tiny mountain country on the final leg of his three nation Asian tour

Prince William and the Duchess of Cambridge pose with basketball player LeBron James backstage as they attend the Cleveland Cavaliers vs. Brooklyn Nets game at Barclays Center in New York during their trip there last year

Prince William and the Duchess of Cambridge pose with basketball player LeBron James backstage as they attend the Cleveland Cavaliers vs. Brooklyn Nets game at Barclays Center in New York during their trip there last year

In 2014, the couple - along with Prince George - visited New Zealand and Australia as part of a three week tour

In 2014, the couple - along with Prince George - visited New Zealand and Australia as part of a three week tour

The official Royal visit to Canada on behalf of The Queen took in eight cities from 30th June to 8th July 2011. It was the third visit for The Duke and the first for Her Royal Highness and Kate arrived in the red and white of the country's flag

The official Royal visit to Canada on behalf of The Queen took in eight cities from 30th June to 8th July 2011. It was the third visit for The Duke and the first for Her Royal Highness

Kate and William pictured on visit to the home of Governor General Frank Kabui in Honiara, Solomon Islands, as part of their nine-day royal tour of the Far East and South Pacific in honour of the Queen's Diamond Jubilee in 2013

Kate and William pictured on visit to the home of Governor General Frank Kabui in Honiara, Solomon Islands, as part of their nine-day royal tour of the Far East and South Pacific in honour of the Queen's Diamond Jubilee in 2013

Prince George arrived at nursery for the first time this week and was captured in an adorable snap taken by the Duchess of Cambridge 

Prince George arrived at nursery for the first time this week and was captured in an adorable snap taken by the Duchess of Cambridge 

Earlier this week, Prince George arrived at nursery for the first time – without a hint of nervousness.

In fact, the third in line to the throne couldn't have looked more excited as he toddled into the Westacre Montessori School chosen by his parents, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge.

In a picture taken by his mother Kate on their arrival, the two-year-old is seen smiling at a brightly coloured mural – and striking a pose remarkably similar to that of his grandfather Prince Charles. In another, he looks boldly down the lens – clearly brimming with confidence.

The little prince spent a couple of hours settling in at the private £5.50-an-hour establishment near the family's home Anmer Hall, on the Queen's Sandringham Estate.

According to aides, he did 'very well' on his first day. The relaxed scenes couldn't have been more different to those that greeted his father Prince William when he started nursery school in 1985. 

BHUTAN: A BRIEF HISTORY 

Tucked into the Himalayas is a beautiful, remote kingdom where spirits are appeased, the mountains are sacred and there is only one major road.

For centuries Bhutan remained isolated from the rest of the world - indeed tourists were forbidden to enter the country until 1974.

Gradually, however, it is opening up - though it still has fewer visitors annually than Peru's Machu Pichu has in one week.

Initially Bonism was the dominant religion in the region that would come to be known as Bhutan. Buddhism was introduced in the 7th century by the Tibetan King Songtsen Gampo and further strengthened by the arrival of Guru Rimpoche, a Buddhist Master that is widely considered to be the Second Buddha.

The country was first unified in 17th century by Zhabdrung Ngawang Namgyel. After arriving in Bhutan from Tibet he consolidated his power, defeated three Tibetan invasions and established a comprehensive system of law and governance. His system of rule eroded after his death and the country fell into in-fighting and civil war between the various local rulers. 

This continued until the Trongsa Poenlop Ugyen Wangchuck was able to gain control and with the support of the people establish himself as Bhutan’s first hereditary King in 1907. His Majesty Ugyen Wangchuck became the first Druk Gyalpo (Dragon King) and set up the Wangchuck Dynasty that still rules today.

In 2008 Bhutan enacted its Constitution and converted to a democracy in order to better safeguard the rights of its citizens. Later in November of the same year, the currently reigning 5th Druk Gyalpo Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck was crowned.

Extract from www.tourism.gov.bt