King Jigme, Queen Jetsun Pema and the Royal Family of Bhutan 2: 2022 -


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Today, July 23, King Jigme held inauguration ceremonies today:


 
An audience for the King and Queen today, July 29:


 
How lovely - an engagement for the boys today:


3 August 2025: Their Royal Highnesses Gyalsey Jigme Namgyel and Gyalsey Ugyen Wangchuck graced a basketball showcase which included an exhibition match featuring NBA stars and the Bhutan National Basketball team at Jungzhina Multipurpose Complex today.

The exhibition match was part of ‘Hoops For Happiness’—a special coaching programme organized by the Bhutan Olympic Committee and the Bhutan Basketball Federation, in collaboration with the US professional basketball league, the NBA.

As part of the programme, NBA stars Mason Plumlee, Justin Holiday, Jonathan Isaac, and AJ Green are in Bhutan to engage with youth and promote the sport through clinics and mentoring sessions.

A Youth Basketball League for younger players was also inaugurated alongside the exhibition match.

The NBA delegation has been holding coaching and showcase events in Paro and Thimphu, and interacting with young Bhutanese basketball fans.
 
The King and Queen announced a state visit to Vietnam next week:


His Majesty The King and Her Majesty The Gyaltsuen will make a State Visit to Việt Nam from 18 to 22 August 2025 at the invitation of His Excellency Mr. Lương Cường, President of the Socialist Republic of Việt Nam.

During this historic first State Visit from Bhutan to Việt Nam, Their Majesties will meet President Lương Cường as well as other senior officials and business leaders.

Since the establishment of diplomatic relations in 2012, the ties of friendship and cooperation between Bhutan and Việt Nam have expanded with growing trade, investment, and tourism. The State Visit is expected to further deepen cooperation and collaboration between Bhutan and Việt Nam.

 
The state visit to to Việt Nam has started today, August 18:



 
King Jigme met Vietnam's Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh at the Government Office in Hanoi today, August 19:


** rex gallery **


And here's more about today's programme:




 
King Jigme and Queen Jetsun Pema concluded their state visit to Việt Nam today, August 22:


 
A lovely marriage announcement today:


His Royal Highness Prince Jigyel Ugyen Wangchuck, son of His Majesty the Fourth Druk Gyalpo Jigme Singye Wangchuck and Her Majesty the Queen Mother Ashi Dorji Wangmo Wangchuck, was today joined in marriage with Ugen Choden Namgyel, daughter of Mr. Singye Namgyel and Mrs. Tshering Lhamo.

The Royal Wedding was held at Dechencholing Palace in Thimphu on 25 August 2025. The Royal Couple received the sacred blessings of His Majesty The King, His Majesty the Fourth Druk Gyalpo, and His Holiness the Je Khenpo.

His Royal Highness is a graduate of St Peter’s College, University of Oxford, where he earned his degree, and holds an Executive MBA from INSEAD. His Royal Highness serves the Kingdom with distinction as President of the Bhutan Olympic Committee since 2009, Vice President of the Olympic Council of Asia, and a Member of the International Olympic Committee.


 
Is the bride in any way related to the royal family (or to other married-in members of the royal family - given that for example 2 of the queen's siblings also married her husband's (half) siblings)?
 
Is there more information about Ugen Choden Namgyel? Will she now be titled Princess?
 
Is there more information about Ugen Choden Namgyel? Will she now be titled Princess?
Generally the term Ashi/Dasho is used in Bhutan not Prince/ss (though the royal children are often titled at least in west as Princess Ashi/Prince Dasho).

One thing I love of Bhutan they make no distinction between male and female lines. Royal spouses all get honorofic, Ugen will be Ashi Ugen. And all royal offspring, male or female line, get Dasho or Ashi
 
King Jigme "joined 7,050 volunteers contributing zhabtog (community service) to develop public spaces and parks across Gelephu Mindfulness City" today, September 4:



 
King Jigme attended Bhutan's National Service's Raising Day today, September 5:


 
Today, King Jigme, granted the dhar to the newly elected gups of Ura, Bumthang and Gozhi, Dagana.

 
King Jigme received the President of the Asian Development Bank Masako Kanda today, September 24:


 
The King and Queen blessed the Royal Dassai tika for the Dassai festival today, September 29:





29 September 2025: His Majesty The King and Her Majesty The Gyaltsuen blessed the Royal Dassai tika, which will be sent to dzongkhags across Bhutan for families celebrating the festival.

Dassai is the most significant festival for the Hindu community in Bhutan. It is celebrated over 10 days, with prayers held in Hindu temples across the country. It culminates with tika on the 10th day, during which a central custom is for elders to apply tika, traditionally made of rice, yogurt, and vermilion, on the foreheads of family members. The Dassai tika represents blessings and protection imparted to the recipients.

It is tradition for the Royal Dassai tika, symbolizing the blessings and protection of the Monarch over the people, to be distributed across the country.
 
King Jigme and Queen Jetsun Pema celebrated the Dassai festival today, October 2:


 
Queen Jetsun Pema attended the opening session of the Third Annual PEMA Symposium at Zhichenkhar, Thimphu today, October 6:


 
Yesterday, October 7, the family participated in the start of the "the third zhabtog (volunteer) programme for GMC":



 
The volunteer programme that had started on October 7 has ended yesterday, October 10:




 
Prince Jigme Namgyel Wangchuck had a solo engagement today!

Impressive to see!




13 October 2025 - Bhutan has successfully integrated the National Digital Identity (NDI) platform with the Ethereum blockchain. His Royal Highness The Gyalsey graced the announcement event held today.

The integration marks a historic milestone in Bhutan’s progress toward digital sovereignty.

Bhutan NDI was launched in October 2023 by His Royal Highness The Gyalsey, who became Bhutan’s first digital citizen. With NDI, Bhutan became the first nation in the world to implement self-sovereign identity at the national level.

Today’s event was attended by Prime Minister Lyonchen Tshering Tobgay, the Secretary of GovTech, the Chairperson of Druk Holding and Investments, Ethereum Co-Founder Vitalik Buterin, and Ethereum Foundation President Aya Miyaguchi.
 
I was wondering about the man in Bhutanese clothes who is clearly not Bhutanese himself: it is a 31-year old Russian who moved to Canada at an early age, Vitalik Buterin, co-founder of Ethereum on which decentralized network this digital service will run. Vitalik was the world's youngest crypto millionaire.
 
King Jigme visited the Gyalsung Academies in Khotokha and Jamtsholing today, October 18:


 
The family attended the Royal Highland Festival today, October 23:



 
The family also attended day 2 of the Royal Highland Festival today, October 24 - such nice photos of the children!



 
The King and Queen traveled to Thailand today, October 29, to pay respects to late Queen Sirikit:



 
King Jigme sent a message for the Passing Out Parade for the Second Cohort of the 2025 batch of Gyalsung today, October 30:


 
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