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Royal wedding frenzy grips Bhutan as ‘Dragon King’ weds
HH Jigme Khesar got married in a Buddhist ceremony at a 17th century fortress in Himalayan kingdom
The royal couple stands together during the marriage ceremony in the main courtyard of the 17th-century fortified monastery or Dzong in Punakha on October 13, 2011 (AFP/Getty Images)
Bhutan’s 31-year-old king married a student 10 years his junior on October 13 in an isolated valley high in the Himalayas where thousands of nomads and villagers have gathered to celebrate (AFP/Getty Images)
The Oxford-educated king is popular in the country and the ceremony was be followed by celebrations in the capital and nationwide (Getty Images)
Thursday’s Buddhist ceremony in a 17th century fortress of Punakha, Bhutan’s ancient capital, should help cement his image as ‘the people’s king’ and defender of Bhutan’s unique concept of Gross National Happiness – the idea that social welfare, personal feelings and the environment matter as much as economic growth (AFP/Getty Images)
In this handout image supplied by the Royal Office of Media, Royal Bride Jetsun Pema offers prayers at the Druk Wangyal Lhakhang in Dochula, on her way to Wangduephodrang where she spent the night on the eve of the Royal Wedding on October 12, 2011, in Dochula, Bhutan (Getty Images)
A Bhutanese worker hangs lights on the portrait of the future King Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck, and Queen of Bhutan Ashi Jetsun Pema Wangchuck as Bhutan prepared for the royal wedding October 11, 2011, in Thimphu, Bhutan (Getty Images)
His majesty King Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck, 31, wed Jetsun Pema, 21, on October 13 in the historical Punakha Dzong, the same venue that hosted the King’s historical coronation ceremony in 2008 (Getty Images)
A Bhutanese woman looks out onto the streets as Bhutan prepared for it’s royal wedding on October 12, 2011 (Getty Images)
Guests hold a procession to celebrate the wedding of the King of Bhutan (AFP/Getty Images)
The handsome, 31-year-old ‘Dragon King’ is popular in Bhutan (AFP/Getty Images)
