But since His Majesty King Dipendra Bir Bikram Shah Dev is physically notable to take care of the affairs of state and since both Queen Aishwarya andPrince Nirajan have also died, the Raj Parishad has decided that PrinceGyanendra Bir Bikram Shah Dev shall be appointed regent."
- The chairman of Nepal's Raj Parishad, Keshar Jung Rayamajhi
With the announcement by the Raj Parishad, themonarch's powers have effectively been transferred to Gyanendra, King Birendra'syounger brother. Interestingly, the infant Gyanendra was monarch for about twomonths in 1950-51, when his father then crown prince Mahendra, grandfather KingTribhuvan and other members of the royal family including then prince Birendra,had fled to India to escape political turmoil at home.
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Gyanendra had stepped down from the throne to make way for his father whoreturned from exile in 1951.
Prince Gyanendra, 54 (born 1947) has had a chequered career, setting up apopular trekking route and leading conservation efforts on one hand, whileembarrassing the royal family with unpaid utility bills and a controversial sonon the other hand.
In January, the Nepal Samacharpatra newspaper had reported that Gyanendraowed more than Rs 10 million to the state-owned Nepal Electricity Authority.Last August, hundreds took to the streets after his son Paras Shah knocked downwellknown singer Praveen Gurung, apparently the younger prince's third victim infour years.
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The Constitution and laws governing Nepal's royal family forbid prosecutionof a member of the royal family without the king's consent. Though theseprovisions allowed the reckless Paras to escape prosecution, yet his misdeedsare said to have aroused strong anti-monarchy feelings among many.
