Murderpedia has thousands of hours of work behind it. To keep creating
new content, we kindly appreciate any donation you can give to help
the Murderpedia project stay alive. We have many
plans and enthusiasm
to keep expanding and making Murderpedia a better site, but we really
need your help for this. Thank you very much in advance.
DIPENDRA
Bir Bikram Shah
The Nepalese royal massacre
Classification: Mass murderer
Characteristics:
Parricide - Anger over a marriage
dispute
Dipendra Bir Bikram Shah
(27 June 1971 – 4 June 2001) was a member of the Nepalese Royal Family,
who briefly became King of Nepal from 1 June to 4 June 2001. As the
Crown Prince, he allegedly killed his family at a royal dinner,
including the previous King, on 1 June 2001. Dipendra was also mortally
wounded by an allegedly self-inflicted gunshot to the side of the head.
After the murder of his father, he officially became king for three days
as he lingered in a coma.
Education
Dipendra received his early education
at Budhanilkantha School, Kathmandu.
He was then educated at Eton College, England. The
prince had been disciplined while at Eton for selling alcohol.
After Eton, he attended Tribhuvan University in Nepal
and later joined the Military Academy, Kharipati. He studied for his
master's degree at Tribhuvan University and was a PhD student in the
same University. He was known to have been skilled in karate.
Motive for murder
Official reports state that Dipendra assassinated
family members because of anger over a marriage dispute.
Dipendra's choice of a bride was Devyani Rana,
daughter of Pashupati SJB Rana a member of the Rana clan, against whom
the Shah family of kings have a historic animosity. In recent times,
though, Shah kings and princes have married almost exclusively members
of the Rana family. The Rana clan had served as the hereditary prime
ministers of Nepal until 1951, with the title Maharaja, and the two
clans have a long history of inter-marriages.
According to official accounts, Dipendra was denied
his choice of a wife by his mother Aiswarya, and so he massacred his
family in a much-publicised incident after indulging in a drinking binge.
Among the dead were his father King Birendra, mother, brother, and
sister. Dipendra survived comatose for three days, and was proclaimed
King in his hospital bed. He died of his injuries on 4 June and was
succeeded by his uncle, Prince Gyanendra.
Other theories
Many people in Nepal still believe
that Gyanendra was responsible for the massacre, and that he blamed
Dipendra so that he could assume the throne himself.
Many suspected this as no one from
Gyanendra's family was killed while everyone from Birendra's family was
killed. Gyanendra, less popular than his brother Birendra, had been
third in line to the throne before the massacre. He was out of town (in
Pokhara) during the massacre and was the closest surviving relative of
the king. Gyanendra's wife and son were in the room at the royal palace
during the massacre. While his son escaped with slight injuries. his
wife was injured during the incident.
Feeding the rumours is the allegation
that Dipendra was mortally wounded by a gunshot to the left side of the
head, while Dipendra was right-handed. Some believe that this casts
doubt on whether the injury was self-inflicted.
Despite the fact that several survivors have publicly
confirmed that Dipendra was doing the shooting, as was documented in a
BBC documentary. many Nepali people still consider it a mystery.
Wikipedia.org
The Nepalese royal massacre
occurred on Friday, June 1, 2001, at the Narayanhity Royal Palace, then
the residence of the Nepalese monarchy, when Crown Prince Dipendra
allegedly shot and killed several members of his family. As a result of
the shooting, ten people died and five were wounded. The dead included
King Birendra of Nepal and Queen Aiswarya, Dipendra's father and mother.
Prince Dipendra became de jure King of Nepal upon his father's
death and died whilst in a coma three days later.
Overview of events
According to reports, Dipendra had been drinking
heavily and had "misbehaved" with a guest, which resulted in his father,
King Birendra, telling his son to leave the party. The drunken Dipendra
was taken to his room by his brother Prince Nirajan and cousin Prince
Paras.
One hour later, Dipendra returned to the party armed
with an MP5K and an M16 and fired a single shot into the ceiling before
turning the gun on his father, King Birendra. Seconds later, Dipendra
shot one of his aunts. He then shot his uncle Dhirendra in the chest at
point-blank range when he tried to stop Dipendra. During the shooting,
Prince Paras suffered slight injuries and managed to save at least three
royals, including two children, by pulling a sofa over them.
During the attack, Dipendra darted in
and out of the room firing shots each time. His mother, Queen Aiswarya,
who came into the room when the first shots were fired, left quickly,
looking for help.
Dipendra's mother Aishwarya and his brother Nirajan
confronted him in the garden of the palace, where they were both shot
dead. Dipendra then proceeded to a small bridge over a stream running
through the palace, where he shot himself.
Other theories
Some people in Nepal suspected that Gyanendra was
responsible for the royal palace massacre on June 1, 2001, and that he
had blamed Dipendra so that he could assume the throne himself.
Gyanendra, not as popular in the country as his son Paras, had been
third in line to the throne before the massacre. He was out of town (in
Pokhara) during the massacre and was the closest surviving relative of
the king. Gyanendra's wife and son were in the room at the royal palace
during the massacre. While his son escaped with slight injuries, his
wife was injured during the incident.
Feeding the rumor is the allegation that Dipendra was
mortally wounded by a gunshot to the left side of the head, while
Dipendra was right-handed. Some believe that this casts doubt on whether
the injury was self-inflicted.
Despite the fact that two survivors have publicly
confirmed that Dipendra was doing the shooting, as was documented in a
BBC documentary, many Nepali people still consider it a mystery.
Recently, a book was published in Nepal named Raktakunda
recounting the massacre. It looks at the incident through the eyes of
one of the surviving witnesses, Queen Mother Ratna's personal maid,
identified in the book as Shanta. The book, which the author says is a "historical
novel", posits that two men masked as Crown Prince Dipendra fired the
shots that led to the massacre. Shanta's husband, Trilochan Acharya,
also a royal palace employee, was killed along with 10 royal family
members, including the entire family of King Birendra. In addition to
details of the royal massacre, Shanta alleged many other cover-ups by
the royal family, including a claim that then-King Mahendra committed
suicide.
Aftermath
Dipendra was proclaimed King while in a coma, but he
died on June 4, 2001, after a three-day reign. Gyanendra was then
appointed regent.
While Dipendra lived, Gyanendra maintained that the
deaths were the result of an "accident". However, he later said that he
made this claim due to "legal and constitutional hurdles", since under
the constitution, and by tradition, Dipendra could not have been charged
with murder had he survived. A full investigation took place, and Crown
Prince Dipendra was found to be responsible for the killing. Numerous
conspiracy theories suggest an alternate conclusion, but there is little
evidence to support them.
The widely accepted motive is that Prince Dipendra
was angry over a marriage dispute. Dipendra's choice of bride was
Devyani Rana, daughter of Pashupati SJB Rana, a member of the Rana clan,
against whom the Shah dynasty have a historic animosity. The Rana clan
had served as the hereditary prime ministers of Nepal until 1951, with
the title Maharaja, and the two clans have a long history of inter-marriages.
All linked Dipendra's actions to a clash with his mother over his wish
to marry Devyani Rana. It is also alleged that he had problems with both
drugs and alcohol and, despite his affable public persona, had a cruel
side to his personality.
A two-man committee comprising Keshav
Prasad Upadhaya, the then-Supreme Court Chief Justice, and Taranath
Ranabhat, the then-Speaker of the House of Representatives, carried out
the week-long investigation into the massacre. The investigation
concluded, after interviewing more than a hundred people including
eyewitnesses and palace officials, guards and staff, that Dipendra had
carried out the massacre. Some critics both inside Nepal and abroad
disputed the official report.
Victims of the
massacre
Killed
HM King Birendra, father
HM Queen Aiswarya, mother
HRH Prince (later HM King) Dipendra, alleged
perpetrator (suicide)
HRH Prince Nirajan, brother
HRH Princess Shruti, sister
(HRH Prince) Dhirendra, King Birendra's brother who
had renounced his title
HRH Princess Jayanti, King Birendra's cousin
HRH Princess Shanti, King Birendra's sister
HRH Princess Sharada, King Birendra's sister
Kumar Khadga, Princess Sharada's husband
Wounded
HRH Princess Shova, King Birendra's sister
Kumar Gorakh, Princess Shruti's husband
HRH Princess Komal, Prince (now former King)
Gyanendra's wife and former Queen
Ketaki Chester, King Birendra's cousin
HRH Prince Paras, Crown Prince, son of Gyanendra
Wikipedia.org
Timeline - Nepal - Reports
Manitara.com
Eye Witness
Dipendra did it. Two weeks after the mass murder of
Nepal’s royal family, a high-level official inquiry has concluded that
Crown Prince Dipendra killed his father, mother, brother, sister, uncle,
and three aunts in cold blood before shooting himself. Six other members
of the royal family, including Queen Komal were seriously injured in the
Friday night massacre and are still in hospital.Most details confirm
early media reports about a drugged and drunk prince going berserk with
automatic weapons, mowing down family members.
Eyewitness speaks
The first eyewitness of the 1 June massacre at the
Royal Palace has spoken. Captain Dr Rajeev Raj Shahi, son-in-law of the
late king Birendra’s youngest brother Dhirendra who died in hospital,
provided a near blow-by-blow account of the family gathering. According
to him it took late King Dipendra about a minute and half to massacre
almost an entire royal clan.
Shahi sketched out the scene and described how the
intoxicated prince was escorted out of the hall where the family was
holding a party. He returned with an assault rifle and shot ten royal
family members.
1. Crown Prince Dipendra enters and shoots the king,
then runs out.
2. Crown prince returns and shoots Prince Dhirendra then goes out again.
3. Princess Shruti moves towards the king and the crown prince shoots
her, another princess and the king again.
4. Dipendra turns and fires at three relatives. In the garden he shoots
Prince Nirajan in the back and then the queen.
5. The crown prince shoots himself in the head on the footbridge.
“I was hit. Sruti cradled me.Then Dipendra came and
shot her.” - Kumar Gorakh
The details are so horrific and gory that reading it
is not for the faint-hearted. The 300+ page report is made up mostly of
raw unedited testimonies from eyewitnesses, medical personnel and
security staff. Some of the accounts are rambling and confused, others
are contradictory. The royal relatives who were in the Tribhuvan Room
were interviewed less than a week after the massacre. Many said they
could not recall exact details because things happened so fast, and also
because of the shock and grief.
There are unconfirmed details: did the fatally
wounded King Birendra try to reach for a gun that Dipendra threw? Was
the person in the red sari seen by a waiter running into the garden
Queen Aishwarya? How many times did Dipendra go out of the room, and why?
Where exactly were the ADC’s during the whole episode? How long did the
shooting last? Any eyewitnesses to Dipendra’s suicide? Why wasn’t the
queen mother interviewed?
There is inconsistency in the exact timing of various
events. There are differences in the recollections of eyewitnesses, but
none of them have any doubts about who did it.
The Nepali public has an image of Dipendra which is a
composite of what the palace wanted us to know. But family members are
now coming out with hush-hush stories about Dipendra’s past behaviour:
an easy-going and pampered crown prince used to getting what he wanted,
his gun fetish, his previous shooting sprees, his violent outbursts in
which Princess Sruti and other relatives and friends had been victims,
his frequent drink and drug-induced rage. One bout of viciousness was on
his birthday almost exactly a year ago. Dipendra carried his MP-5
submachine guns wherever he went. Palace officials were used to him
frequently blazing away at crows, cats and bats in the palace grounds.
In fact, when the first shots were fired, sources told us the Queen
Mother remarked: “There he goes shooting cats again.” - The following is
an unofficial translation by Nepali Times of excerpts from the
commission’s transcripts of eyewitness testimonies:
Queen Komal: “I was present at the family
gathering at Tribhuvan Sadan that day. I learnt that the crown prince
had gone to rest early. Sometime later there was a burst of gunfire and
the bullets hit the ceiling. After that I saw that King Birendra had
been hit on the right side of his neck. Kumar Khadga and Kumar Gorakh
were also shot. Then I was hit in the back and I fell down… (Princess)
Shanti had fallen over me, and I could not see anything after that.”
Princess Helen Shah (King Birendra’s aunt): (She
was sitting with the Queen Mother in the anteroom, heard gunshots and
some people running in the garden. She thought the youngsters were
playing. In the end she heard one or two shots. Then there was silence.)
“About 7-8 minutes after that Paras came running (and told us). After
hearing that ‘Amumuma dai-le ta Thulobuba dekhi liyara sabai jana lai
goli hanyo’ (Dipendra shot King Birendra and all the others), I opened
the door and stepped out. The Queen Mother was behind me…I then entered
the Billiard Room…and looked all around. Everyone was on the ground.
Dhirendra was crying in pain. I rushed back to the Queen Mother and told
her everyone except Dhirendra were dead. She asked where is the king.
Paras said I have sent him to hospital already. Then she asked where
were the queen and Nirajan. At that time the two stepped out. The Queen
was in front and Nirajan was following…I don’t know where. Then we went
to hospital.”
Princess Shoba Shahi: “It was our normal Third
Friday gathering. No argument, no discussion it was just a gathering. He
(Dipendra) had served drinks and then gone to fetch Mummy (Queen Mother)…After
chatting with our mothers we all drifted towards the Billiard Room. The
crown prince was not there. Dhirendra told me that four people had taken
him (Dipendra) to his room. Then we entered the Billiard Room. A while
later, he (Dipendra) appeared in combat clothes (sobs), he had a big gun.
He did not talk, all of us were there, and there was the sound of
gunshots…We did not think that he intended to kill, we thought the gun
had gone off by mistake. Birendra dai fell. I went and held him. Rajeev
also came and helped. I couldn’t tell where he was hit… Birendra dai
tried to get up. And he was holding a… I said leave this and snatched it.
The magazine came out and I threw it away. Sometime later there was a
bang, Sani diju (Princess Shanti) came running in. There was a shot from
outside and my maili bhauju (middle sister-in-law, Queen Komal) fell,
then I saw that Gorakh had been hit. He (Dipendra) was still coming in
and Dhirendra said ‘Babu, that’s enough’. He had just finished saying
that when he was shot. Immediately after Dai (King Birendra) fell, Sruti
came saying “Bua, Buba”, but seeing her husband she said “Eh ba timilai
pani lagyo?” (You have also been hit?”) and rushed towards him….Then she
fell. After shooting bhai (Dhirendra) he shot his sister. After that he
shot His Majesty again and he fell…actually he killed him that third
time.”
Prince Paras: “We reached there a little after
7:30, about 7:40. Everyone else had come. Mummy, myself, sister and
Himani (wife) were a little late. The Crown Prince appeared like he had
already had some cocktails. (He asked) what would you like? I decided to
have just a Coke. ‘I have been drinking whiskey,’ he said. He was ok
until that time, but seemed intoxicated. (When I asked) what happened he
said: ‘We’ve been discussing marriage. I spoke with mua (his mother) and
with Afumuma (Queen Mother), both have said no.’ This was about eight
o’clock.
At around eight the Queen Mother came, (Dipendra had
fetched her)…again he served drinks, then at about 8:30 His Majesty
arrived. At that time Dai (Dipendra) was with us inside, in the room
where the incident took place. He seemed drunk and fell, as if he had
passed out and was down on the floor. Gorkah, Nirajan, Rajeev and myself
picked him up and told him we were taking him to his room because
Thulobuba had already come. We took him up but did not put him in bed,
we put him down on a floor mattress. At around 8:31-32 we turned off the
lights and came down. His Majesty spent about half-an-hour with the
Queen Mother. Then he came to the room where the incident took place.
The king had just taken a drink. We had not even said cheers, we were in
a corner and did not see the crown prince coming… that’s the corner
where we usually stayed, we youngs (sic) used to stay there so (the
elders) didn’t see us smoking. I did not see him coming, I only came to
know he had come when the first shot was fired. He fired three rounds as
he came in, His Majesty had just asked ‘What are you doing?’ Bang, bang,
he was hit here and here (pointing). His Majesty fell. Dr Rajeev and I
were together. Both of us rushed to him. Dr Rajeev reached His Majesty,
but I was stopped by Princess Shoba. I went back and told the sisters to
take cover and lie low. At about this time the Crown Prince came in
again. I saw him shoot at His Majesty. I saw him shoot Dhirendra. When
he was returning the second time Dhirendra said ‘Baba, you have done
enough damage’. No sooner had he said that, than bang-bang one hit him
here (pointing). Then he fell, and after that it was one after another,
I cannot recall. I had already turned back and was helping the sisters
to take cover. I saw His Majesty, Kumar Gorakh and Kumar Khadga fall,
more or less at the same time. It was the MP-5 that had hit the three,
this was the same MP-5 which His Majesty picked up. Princess Sobha took
it away and removed the magazine, and put it down on the floor. Maybe
she thought this was the only weapon, but Dai (Dipendra) also had other
weapons, I had seen them. One handgun was on his left side the MP-5 was
in his right pocket…I did not see what happened outside. He had the
shotgun and the M-16 on his shoulders.
He may have gone in and come out
within a minute, or perhaps 30 seconds. He came back with the big gun,
an M-16, and hit Thulo Buba (King Birendra) in the head, then Kumar
Khadga fell. I did not see Sruti come but saw her telling Gorakh, ‘Baba
you have been hit.’ Princess Sarada went to where Kumar Khadga had
fallen, she lay over his body sobbing “What has happened to you, what
has happened to you?” The crown prince came back and shot her at point
blank range…when he came for the third time he shot at Jayanti diju,
Ketaki…and Sruti. Then he came towards the tall chair, we were directly
in front of him. I said ‘What are you doing…what are you doing…please go.’
If he had shot: I was there, Mahesh was there, Rabi was there. I had
hidden them there. My sister was behind Mahesh. My wife was there. I had
hidden three of the (cousin) sisters there and another one behind what
looks like a sofa. To Dai (Dipendra) I said: “Please, what are you doing,
we are the only ones here”. One-by-one he looked at us and left. I got
up and went to Kanchho Buba (Dhirendra). He told me: “Paras I can’t move
my legs, please try to move them.” Then he told me to protect the
children, I did not even seen my mother (Queen Komal) fall. She was
trying to get up from under Princess Shanti. I went and helped muma get
up…then I went to the Queen Mother’s room. I had heard firing outside
and thought it came from there, but it was quiet in the room. I told
them what had happened. By then the firing had stopped.
Dai’s ADC came saying ‘He shot himself, he shot
himself’. I asked him where was Bhai (Nirajan), he said he had been shot.
I asked where was Thulo Muma (the Queen) he told me Thulo Muma was down,
everyone was down and Thulo Muma had no chance. I did not see what
happened…outside Bhai (Dipendra) was lying down groaning in pain.
(Reasons for shooting) I think it was the marriage
issue. This disucssion had begun on his last birthday. We discussed who
were “against” and who were “with”. Bhai (Nirajan) and I were “with”. We
did whatever he said. Rajeev was “with”, Sruti, Gorakh and other sisters
were “against”. I think that was the main reason.”
Princess Prerana (Paras’ sister): “…After
sometime Dipendra (came) in army dress…first he fired up on the ceiling,
then he shot Thulo Buba (King Birendra)…I don’t know who else he shot, I
saw all of them on the ground…Daju (Paras) hid us all behind the sofa,
we were behind him. I saw Thulo Buba and my uncle (Dhirendra) being hit.
I saw the others only after they had fallen.
Princess Sitashma (Dhirendra’s daughter): “We
were near the bar. I came in about an hour later Thul Dai (Dipendra)
came in an army dress, we stood by just watching, then there was the
sound of firing. Paras-da said get down get down and we hid. Then I saw
my father going down slowly. Hearing the machine gun we stayed hidden.
He (Dipendra) came, looked at us and left. Then I heard what happened
outside, we did not see it.”
Princess Dilasha (Dhirendra’s daughter): “We
hadn’t even said cheers. We were just talking…then there was automatic
gunfire. We were shocked. His Majesty had been shot, he was hit in the
neck. I saw that, I also saw him fall down.”
Kumar Gorakh: “I heard gunshots, I thought it
was crackers. I didn’t know what was happening, then I saw His Majesty
fall. Then everyone started saying “What happened, what have you done?”
I ran from the corner to the side where His Majesty was. I looked at him
and said he’s been shot, then when I was returning, well…what to say…
Dipendra Shah (sobs) came and shot everyone who was there. I was behind
a table or something when I was hit and fell to the floor. He was going
in and out. The only person with a gun was Dipendra Shah, no one else
was there. He returned and picked out those who had been hurt, took aim
and shot, took aim and shot…what else is there to say (weeps). He had at
least two machine guns. Also perhaps a pistol. I think I saw that much.
I don’t know the make of the machine gun. But when he held up the gun
there was a flash. I thought this is the end, that was when I was hit. I
fell. I could not move. Then my wife (Sruti) came to see what had
happened to father. I said: ‘Baba, malai pani dagyo’ (I have also been
hit). She took me in her lap, then he came and shot her. Both of us fell
there and others came and took us to hospital.”
Rabi Sumshere Rana (Married to King Birendra’s
aunt): “…His Majesty had taken a Coca-Cola and moved towards the
billiard table, I was two or three steps behind and he called me. I
moved forward and he asked how I was. I said everything was fine and
then Mahesh Kumar entered and said his wife could not come because of
arthritis. His Majesty moved forward and said that gout, uric acid,
cholesterol were in the family. Before he had finished talking about
cholesterol, Mahesh Kumar left and another man came (towards us). Not
army uniform, that dress is known as a fatigue, I looked closely and I
noticed it was the Crown Prince. I thought he looked at me and I think
he smiled. Then there was a burst of three shots. What to do. His
Majesty just stood and watched, I just stood there watching. I knew he
was a happy-go-lucky person, but this was no way to fool around. Then I
saw blood gushing out of king’s side. I yelled: “Doctor!”. ... the King
said ‘What have you done?’ He (Dipendra) had bolted out of the room.
Then, in utter panic, I screamed for an ambulance...”
Maheswor Kumar Singh (married to King Birendra’s
aunt): “…When I arrived the Crown Prince was already there. He was
playing billiards on his own. He asked me to take a drink. He was
manning the bar himself... I took a drink and parked it on a table. It
was about 7:30-7:45, and he (Dipendra) went out. His Majesty the King
was not there yet. So we went to greet the Queen Mother, and Her Majesty
the Queen was also there. We were chatting when His Majesty arrived at
about 8:30, and then I stepped out. After about 10-15 minutes His
Majesty...went to the Billiard Room.
He (the king) had a drink in his hand…I went up and
told him my wife could not come and were talking about health, ...(at
about) 8:50-8:55. I heard a sound from behind and turned back. I saw the
Crown Prince in complete battle dress, cap, an automatic weapon could be
clearly seen in his hands. About one or two seconds later there were two
sounds. I thought it was from the TV. It was very near my ears and
thought my eardrums had burst, I blinked. I turned to see what was
happening…Rajeev Shahi was already running towards us and stood behind
King Birendra trying to support him. …I think I saw the queen rushing
out…”
Ketaki Chester (Prince Basundhara’s daughter):
“I saw him (Dipendra) coming in from the main door in combat uniform
carrying two machine guns…I did not think they were real. My sister (Jayanti)
was near me and I said, “Isn’t he too old to come in a uniform in front
of other people?” My sister is now dead. She said, I don’t know. Then I
thought he was bringing the weapons to show them to His Majesty. He
walked straight into the room and stood about 10 feet away from His
Majesty then I heard a bang. I did not think it was a gunshot. The gun
in his right hand was aimed upwards. Then I smelt something and told my
sister this could be ammunition. He turned and headed out, we stepped
forward and saw that His Majesty had been hit and he was falling down
slowly…later I saw Her Majesty marching out of the door, I called out to
her twice. I heard the machine gun fire twice and told Dhirendra whom I
was holding: ‘He may have shot Her Majesty’…when Her Majesty ran out,
..., I saw Nirajan running after her…”
Capt Rajeev Shahi (husband of Dhirendra’s daughter):
”I heard that His Majesty had been shot. By the time he had already
fallen. I opened the coat and pressed the right side of his neck (to
stop the bleeding). The king said “Rajeev, I’ve also been hit in my
stomach”…I had not seen the Crown Prince until then because he had run
out. Then he came back in. Dhirendra Shah had tried to stop him saying
‘Baba what are you doing?’ and he was shot.”
Colonel Sunder Pratap Rana (ADC to His Majesty the
King who was 40 or 50 m away from the scene of the crime): “The time
was…after nine, after nine. There was a sound of the cupboard moving. I
said what was happening and Major Gajendra (Bohra, Dipendra’s ADC)
stepped out. As soon as he stepped out, I heard gunshots and Her
Majesty’s, a woman’s voice saying ‘call the doctor.’ I tried to call the
doctor on my mobile, and could not. Then I ordered for the fighting
force and moved forward. There was another round of firing. I kept
moving forward. Inside the hall I saw people on the ground, but could
not make out where who was. I was running from outside and looking
inside… I found the His Majesty in a group and felt if I carried His
Majesty and went back the same way the same man who had shot him could
attack us, so I ordered that the door be broken. We checked his airways,
bleeding and circulation, His Majesty had survive(d) the attack. We then
put him in a car and left for the hospital.”
Major Ananta Keshar Shima (ADC to Her Majesty, who
was also in the nearby office): “A woman’s voice had ordered us to
call a doctor, it could have been Sruti’s or Her Majesty’s voice. Then I
tried to call a doctor from the office telephone. After failing to get
through to the army hospital and doctor I went towards where the firing
had come from. By the time the door had been broken. I helped the
colonel carry His Majesty out and after the car left, I went back to
call the doctor again and ordered more vehicles…I looked around for Her
Majesty and not finding her in the room I came back to the ADC room and
called the nanny in her quarters. The nanny told me Her Majesty had not
returned so I went out towards the garden, where I met Major Gajendra.
As we went forward we saw a body near a bend. It was groaning, coming up
close I recognised the Crown Prince and ordered the people with me to
take him away. Then while I was turning around, I saw Prince Nirajan
flat (sic)… and sent him to hospital.” Because I had not yet found Her
Majesty I went in…I saw something red on the side of the door, I ran up
the stairs and there was Her Majesty. Because I could not carry her on
my own I called the military police, put her in a car and took her to
hospital.”
Major Gajendra Bohara (ADC to Dipendra, also in
the ADC office at the time): “I was working on the computer when
Sunder Pratap said what happened? I stepped out and then heard the sound
of firing, and said “sir I can hear shots.” I went straight ahead and
reached the broken door. From there my eyes went to the entrance door. I
saw the crown prince step out and pulled at the door (broken one). I
knew the door would be locked from the inside, then I ran around and
peeped but I could not see anything, then I turned back. At that time I
saw another ADC coming and moved forward—slowly—because I had seen
firearms. My aim was to protect the crown prince…by the time the colonel
had entered the room, and I also saw that inside all had fallen…All had
fallen but at the time I did not even think that the crown prince had
shot himself, I was only thinking of how to get him under control, if
nothing had happened to him it would take much time to control him, so
we were looking around slowly. Then we heard a sound from the stairs
leading to the garden. It was a loud groaning noise, the groaning was
there till we had reached the hospital. Following the noise we found the
crown prince and brought him out…”
Captain Chakra Shah (ADC to the Queen Mother):
“…After hearing ‘call the doctor, call the doctor’ we ran towards (the
room). I was on duty in the area for the first time so I did not know
where the entrance was…I tried to open the door, others broke the door
and stepped in, later I followed. They had covered His Majesty and
because my responsibility was the Queen Mother, I began to look for her…I
searched for the Queen Mother among the female corpses but did not find
her…then I came out from another window…then I didn’t know where she was
coming from, she called me ‘Chakra…”
Captain Pawan Khatri: (ADC His Majesty the king,
in the duty room after the king went to Tribhuvan room from his office):
“We were chatting when there was a bang, bang sound from outside. We had
just stepped out when we heard loud firing. Then we heard ‘call the
doctor’ from inside. The Colonel was on the phone, on the set I called
for the military police and ran forward…when I reached near (the room),
I saw a man in combat fatigue leave from the back door, in the garden-side
door with a gun whose light was on, the gun was facing this side (sic)
and the person was about to turn. The light on the gun was still on. I
stood outside and had my pistol in my hands, after that I went to
support Colonel Sunder Pratap.”
Santa Bahadur Khadka, Kitchen Boy: “…The Crown
Prince was moving backwards with guns in two hands, he was moving
backwards and the (woman in red) was in front of him, we could not
recognise her… The two were not talking, they were running, shouting,
screaming. I cannot say who was speaking. The women in the room were
screaming.”
Bacchuram KC, Kitchen boy: “I had gone inside
(the room) with cold drinks about two minutes before the incident. After
I had come about 10 metres north from the door of the room, the Crown
Prince came in army dress. He had a gun in front. I thought he may be
going out somewhere. The firing started the moment (he entered) the room,
then I became scared, my heart began pounding, I ran away. …I had seen (guns)
in two of his hands, one was big, another small…He was in a scary
position…. Seeing him with weapons, I was scared, my heart skipped a
beat (mutu chaskiyo), still I stood by and watched where he was heading.
But after he went in and I heard the loud noise, there was no point for
me to stay there.
Royal News
NettyRoyal.nl
June 1st
Princess Madeleine of Sweden graduated from high
school at the Enskilda Gymnasiet in Stockholm. When she came out of the
school her parents, Crown Princess Victoria and Princess Lilian were
waiting for her.
June 2nd
At about 22:40 local time yesterday evening 29-year-old
Crown Prince Dipendra has shot dead at least 8 members of his family
with two automatic rifles in a sitting room at the Palace Narayan Hity
in the capital Kathmandu after a dinner and afterwards committed suicide
in the temple by shooting a bullet through his head. At the hospital,
the Crown Prince had a feeble pulse, but the 9 mm bullet had gone right
through his head. Surgeons operated on him. According to the Nepali
Times Crown Prince Dipendra was left brain-dead from a self-inflicted
gunshot wound in hospital early this morning and is only kept alive with
a life support machine. Shocked palace staff rushed the dead and wounded
to the Royal Nepal Army Hospital in Chauni, where most were declared
dead on arrival. The deaths are King Birendra (55) and Queen Aishawarya
(51), their son Prince Nirajan (22), their daughter Princess Shruti (24,
died in the hospital), King Birendra's sisters Princesses Sharada and
Shanti (60, died in hospital), the King's cousin Jayanti and his brother-in-law
Kumar Khadga Bikram Shah. Other members of the royal family, Prince
Dhirendra and Princess Sruti’s husband Gorakh, were critically wounded.
According to reports the royal family had gathered Friday night for a
large family meeting to discuss the Crown Prince's marriage and said the
crown prince wished to marry the daughter of a former government
minister but the queen had objected. The number of death has not yet
been confirmed. King Birendra reigned Nepal since 1972. Prince Gyanendra
(53), King Birendra’s middle brother, was in Pokhara and tried to fly
back, but the Super Puma helicopter sent to fetch him at midnight Friday
had to turn back due to bad weather. He finally flew in from Gajuri at
six in the morning and landed at Chhauni where the 11-member Royal Privy
Council was about to meet. The Raj Parishad is expected to deliberate on
the succession and announce the new king later Saturday. Meanwhile, in
the city Kathmandu residents gathered in small groups at street corners.
Near the Royal palace, by mid-morning a quiet mass of about 10,000 grim-faced
people had come together to find out what had happened to their king and
queen.
In the afternoon Crown Prince Dipendra was declared
the new King of Nepal by the Raj Parishad, the privy council of Nepal. A
five-day period of national mourning was declared.
The bodies of King Birendra, his daughter Shruti and
son Nirajan, on simple bamboo poles, and Queen Aishawarya on a bronze
palanquin, were carried eight miles on the shoulders of Brahmin priests
clad in white vests and loin cloths through Kathmandu to the
Pashupatinath Temple at the side of the Bagmati River, while armed
troops lined the streets and tens of thousands of Nepalis followed the
funeral procession. "Long live our king. Our king and our nation are
dearer to us than our lives," shouted people that followed the funeral
procession, led by Prince Gyanendra, dressed in military white. As
darkness fell Hindu priests prepared the bodied for cremation inside
tents and wrapped them in red cloth. They were laid on stone pyres
decked with garlands of marigolds and sandalwood. One by one, the pyres
were lit with torches (the king at 21:46 local time) as dignitaries
looked on and a military honor guard saluted. Their ashes are to be
scattered along the holy river.
Public prosecutors in Germany have charged Prince
Ernst August of Hannover with insulting and attacki photographer Sabine
Breuer at an arts festival in Austria last summer. He is accused of
insulting her before kicking her in the thigh. He could be fined $
400,000. He has disputed the charges and his lawyers have filed an
objection to the prosecution. The prince will now attend a verbal
negotiation before the court case which will be held in the town of
Springe near Hannover.
June 3rd
Prince Claus of the Netherlands has left the hospital
Barmbek in Hamburg, Germany. He is back home at Palace Huis ten Bosch.
The woman King Dipendra of Nepal wanted to marry has
been named as Devyani Rana. Her father, Pashupati Rana, is a former
minister, and her mother, Usharaje, was a daughter of the last Maharaja
of Gwalior, India. The Rana family ruled Nepal until 1951. At the time
of the royal massacre Devyani Rana seems to have been in India to attend
the cremation of a family member. Masses of Nepalese people are having
their heads shaved as a mark of respect to their murdered royal family.
Having your head shaved is a traditional Hindu way of showing the state
of personal mourning. The people of Nepal can't believe King Dipendra
killed his family members. They think of a plot from his uncle Gyanendra,
whose son is the only member of the family at the palace who survived
unwounded. This son, Paras, is widely described as a violent and
dangerous man, who has shot several people dead in brawls. Prince
Gyanendra issued a statement on Sunday that only served to confuse
matters by saying the royal killings were the result of "accidental"
automatic weapons fire at the palace. He said the victims were seriously
injured and later died in hospital. The three injured family members -
Gorakh Bikram, Princess Shruti's husband; Komal Shah, Prince Gyanendra's
wife; and Prince Dhirendra, the king's youngest brother - remain at the
military hospital, where they are in stable condition. Meanwhile, the
body of Bodh Kumari Shah, mother of Kumar Khadga Bikram Shah, husband of
Princess Sharada, both of whom were killed on Friday in the palace, was
cremated today at the Aryaghat in Pashupatinath Temple. She had suffered
a massive heart attack after learning the news of her son and daughter-in-law’s
death, said family sources. The last rites of Kumar Khadga Bikram Shah
and Princesses Sharada and Shanti were also performed early today at the
Aryaghat with due honours and rituals.
June 4th
King Dipendra of Nepal died at 3:45 local time in the
military hospital in Chhauni, and his uncle Dhirendra, the youngest
brother of King Birendra, also died in hospital at 5:57pm. At 10:30
local time, Gyanendra, the younger brother of King Birendra, who had
already been named regent for Dipendra, was declared King of Nepal. At
11:00 he appeared at a palace enthronement ceremony in Nasal Chowk in
Hanuman Dhoka palace, the former royal palace in the old quarters of
Kathmandu, his head shaven in a traditional show of respect for the dead,
before he put on the crown topped with a large cream-color plume. It was
the second time in history that he was crowned. In November 1950, the
then Rana prime minister had made him king at the age of four after King
Tribhuvan and King Mahendra secretly left Kathmandu for India to return
in February 1951 to restore the House of the Shahs in Nepal. Not
counting Gyanendra's brief kingship then, he is the 12th Shah king of
Nepal in a dynasty that stretches back to Prithvi Narayan Shah, the
unifier of modern Nepal. He rode a horse-drawn carriage to Narayanhiti
Royal Palace past cheering crowds as cannons boomed in the air, although
thousands of protesters were chanting slogans against the succession of
King Gyanendra in different parts of the city. The Nepali people, who
worship their King as Lord Vishnu, don't consider Gyanendra a Lord
Vishnu at the moment. They suspect Gyanendra of seeking a return to
absolute monarchic rule. Later today the Nepalese government has
declared a curfew in Kathmandu, covering the funeral of King Dipendra,
as thousands of angry mourners demand an explanation to the royal
massacre. Police fired on protesters, killing at least two persons and
wounded tens of people. The newly crowned King Gyanendra addressed the
nation in a short speech at 21:00 local time over state-owned Nepal
Television. In the speech, he announced that a three member committee
has been formed to investigate the Friday night carnage in the Royal
Palace and bring the facts to the public. The committee is to be chaired
by Chief Justice Keshav Prasad Upadhyaya. The other two memebers of the
committee are to be Tara Nath Ranabhat, the Speaker of the House of
Representative (Nepalese Lower House) and Madhav Nepal, the leader of
the main opposition. In the speech, he also officially declared his wife,
Komal, as the new queen. Dipendra's body was taken through the streets
of Kathmandu in an open vehicle to the Pashupati cremation grounds, and
at 19:30 local time, a brahmin Achyut Prasad Acharya lit the pyre of the
late king. Meanwhile, several injured royal family members have been
moved out of intensive care to a VVIP unit at the army hospital in
Chhauni, Nepal Television announced Monday morning. King Gyanendra's
wife Princess Komal, King Birendra's sister Princess Shoba, late
Princess Shruti's husband Kumar Gorakh Rana, and King Birendra's cousin
Keytaki Singh have been moved out following improvements to their
conditions. Royal Families from all over the world have expressed their
sympathy to the surviving members of the Royal Family. They are all very
shocked. Several royal families were friends of the murdered King and
Queen of Nepal.
Princess Madeleine had a graduation party near
Stockholm for about 160 friends.
June 5th
Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands and Willem-Alexander
Prince of Oranje started a four-day-visit to Russia. After arriving in
Moscow they were received by President Putin at the Cremlin. Queen
Beatrix said to hope that the state visit will contribute to the
continuance of the good relations between Russia and The Netherlands.
Putin also showed his guests around in the Cremlin. In the afternoon
Queen Beatrix laid a wreath at the monument for the unknown soldier. In
the evening a state banquet was held. Moscow got 10.000 tulip-bulbs as a
present from the Netherlands.
The doors of the Royal Palace in Kathmandu have
opened to allow an investigation into the fatal shooting of 10 members
of the royal family. The third member Madhav Kumar Nepal, leader of the
main opposition Communist Party of Nepal, who had agreed to be on the
panel, later withdrew after objections from within his party on a
procedural issue.
June 6th
Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands visited the Duma
where she talked with the chairman and some members of the Russian
parliament. She wasn't allowed to have a look in the parliament itself
as there was a session going on. Meanwhile Willem-Alexander Prince of
Orange opened a photo exhibition about AIDS at the Sacharov Institute.
He also met Derk Sauer, a Dutch journalist who set up a press centre in
Moscow about ten years ago. In the afternoon Queen and Prince met the
Dutch community at the Puschkin Museum.
A Dutch teacher has lodged a complaint against the
naturalization of Máxima Zorreguieta. He thinks it is not fair that she
didn't have to pass all procedures to get the Dutch nationality, while
his own fiancée still is waiting for permission to come to the
Netherlands.
A witness claims Nepal's Prince Dipendra served
drinks to his family moments before shooting them with a machine gun.
The witness, reported to be a member of the Nepal royal family, claims
Dipendra mixed one of his cousins a drink, and the assembled relatives
chatted as they waited for dinner. At about 9 p.m., Dipendra slipped out
of the gathering and then appeared minutes later in combat gear,
carrying an Uzi submachine gun and an M16 assault rifle. He is said to
have walked into a room where his father, the king, was sitting and shot
him with one of the automatic weapons. The witness "could see the king's
face with utter astonishment on it". The relative is then quoted as
saying that after killing his father, Dipendra sprayed machine-gun and
rifle fire through the sitting rooms for 15 minutes. "He said nothing at
all throughout the whole episode, and there was no expression whatever
on his face," the relative was quoted saying. "He just fired
indiscriminately." At one point Dipendra's mother, Queen Aishwarya, and
his younger brother, Prince Nirajan, followed him into the garden. "That's
when they got shot," the relative said. He said that when Dipendra moved
back inside his uncle, Prince Dhirendra, pleaded: "'Put the gun down;
you've done enough damage" which is when he was shot. As he lay bleeding,
the relative said, Dhirendra urged one of the women who tried to help
him to reach into his pocket for a mobile phone to call for outside help,
but she was unable to do so because she had been shot in the arm and
shoulder. Another woman was shot also. Finally, Dipendra went out to the
garden again, and more shots were heard. "That must have been the time
he was shooting himself," the relative said. Once the prince stopped
firing and the rooms had fallen silent, the relative said, "people got
together and there was somebody saying, 'This one's dead, that one's
alive.'" The witness's account, given by the relative in a joint
interview with The Washington Post and the Times of London, shed no
light on what Dipendra was thinking or feeling as he prepared to kill.
The witness said that there was no discussion of the prince's wedding
plans or romantic life at the Friday night gathering, no arguments
overheard between Dipendra and his parents that evening, and no sign
before the shootings that anything was wrong. "Why he did it, we may
never know, but this is actually what happened," the relative said. "It
was a routine Friday night, and it all went wrong." According to the
relative of the eyewitness, Paras Shah, the 28-year-old son of the new
King Gyanendra, played an important and even heroic role in the
evening's events, moving quickly to hide some teenagers behind a sofa as
the shootings started and arranging to have army trucks take the wounded
survivors to a military hospital because no ambulance was available.
However some palace sources told that the crown prince and his mother
had sharp words that night over the young woman that Dipendra wanted to
marry - Devyani Rana, the daughter of a prominent Nepali businessman and
the granddaughter of an Indian maharaja. Witnesses said the king and
queen told Dipendra he could marry Devyani Rana but if he did so Nirajan
would take his place as crown prince, according to a member of the State
Council, who spoke on condition of anonymity.
A commission of four historians who
research the murder of the Congolese president Lumumba in 1961 by order
of the present Belgian parliament, say the Belgian government Eyskens
was involved in the fall of the President in 1960. At the end of 1960
King Baudouin has been told about the agreement between Prime Minister
Tschombe of the Congolese Province of Katanga and General Mobutu to have
Lumumba killed. Belgium should have paid $ 1.000.000 to get rid of
Lumumba, who was anti-Belgium. After the fall of Lumumba they kept on
urging to have him arrested and there have been several plans to kill
him.
June 7th
In the morning Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands and
Willem-Alexander Prince of Oranje left Moscow. They first visited Nizhny
Novgorod at the Wolga river where they were offered bread and salt, the
traditional welcome present. After laying a wreath at the monument for
the victims of World War II they visited an training-institute for
journalists that is supported by The Netherlands. Afterwards they left
for St Petersburg and there they visited the Hermitage museum. There
Queen Beatrix re-opened the Marquee Hall by lightening the lights. The
Netherlands gave money for the restoration of the hall.
Prince Achileas Andreas of Greece, the youngest son
of Crown Prince Pavlos of Greece and his wife Maria, was christened at
the Orthodox St Sophia Cathedral in London. His godparents were Prince
Guillaume of Luxembourg, Prince Kardam of Bulgaria, Prince Alexander of
Fürstenberg, Infanta Elena of Spain, Princess Rosario of Bulgaria and
Veronica Touts. Next to the immediate family the christening was also
attended by Queen Sofia of Spain, Prince Ernst August and Princess
Caroline of Hannover, Prince Kirill of Bulgaria and model Elle
MacPherson.
Dr Rajiv Raj Shahi, the son-in-law of the late Prince
Dhirendra and a military doctor, says he watched in horror as Crown
Prince Dipendra opened fire. Dr Shahi said that the killings were
carried out within a span of 90 seconds, as Dipendra darted in and out
of the Billiards Room where the gathering of about two dozen members of
the royal family and wealthy friends was being held, killing a few
relatives each time. Dr Shahi's account is the first on-the-record
witness version of the events since the massacre last Friday night. The
doctor escaped bullets by jumping out of the way. He said Dipendra
started to appear that he was intoxicated, really drunk. He started to
stammer and quarrel. It was a family gathering, so we decided to escort
him away. Me, Prince Nirajan and the new king's son, Paras Shah,
escorted him to his bedroom. About 9 pm I heard a burst of gunfire. I
thought it was somebody playing a prank. There was shouting and I heard
someone say, 'His Majesty has been shot'. Being a doctor, I ran toward
His Majesty. I took off my coat and pressed it against his neck where he
was bleeding. (The king) said: 'I have been shot in the stomach also'.
My father-in-law (Prince Dhirendra) tried to stop the then-Crown Prince.
He was shot at point-blank range on his chest. Dipendra came in a second
time with an assault rifle. He shot three more people, went out again
and came back in. By this time, Princess Shruti had moved to near her
father. He then shot at Princess Shobha, Princess Shruti and His Majesty
again. From what I gathered, Queen Aiswarya went to confront the crown
prince with what he had done," Shahi said. Prince Dipendra killed his
mother. Prince Nirajan came in the centre to save his mother. He was
shot in the back," Shahi said. He said others told him that Crown Prince
Dipendra then stood on a footbridge some distance away from where the
queen and Nirajan lay dead. This was where the prince shot himself in
the head with a pistol.
Without further comments the wedding of Prince Jean
of France Duke of Vendôme and Duchess Tatjana of Oldenburg was postponed.
The wedding was supposed to take place on September 29 in Chartres,
France, and it is said it will now take place in Spring 2002.
Heiligenstedt Castle in the German federal state of
Schleswig-Holstein, wasn't auctioned as there was nobody who wanted to
buy the castle.
French photographer Jacques Langevin has been placed
under judicial investigation for invasion of privacy. He photographed
the wreckage of the car in which Diana Princess of Wales was killed in
August 1997. The photos were impounded by police soon after the crash.
June 8th
The now 2-member committee has finally begun its
inquiry into the Nepalese royal massacre. It is expected the findings
from the probe will be submitted on Sunday.
An archive of 260 personal letters from the future
King Edward VIII of Great Britain to Freda Dudley-Ward, his first and
long-time love, have fetched £34,500 at auction. The collection was
bought by Barry Davies for his wife Christine, who co-produced the
television programme Edward on Edward. The Prince of Wales, who later
chose to abdicate, rather than do without Wallis Simpson, later Duchess
of Windsor, met "Fredie" early in 1918. In the letters, he swears never
to marry anyone except her, says he wants to die young and declares the
monarchy is "out of date".
Nepal's monarchy today disavowed the account of royal
witness Army Capt. Rajiv Shahi to the murder of Nepal's king June 1 and
said it was launching an investigation into his actions, a move that
perplexed and alarmed many Nepalis who have waited anxiously for an
explanation of the palace massacre. Shahi who is married to a Nepali
princess and was at the royal palace when King Birendra and eight
members of his family were gunned down, told journalists Thursday that
the king's son, Crown Prince Dipendra, had committed the murders and
then killed himself. But today, angry palace officials said they had not
known about or approved his statement, and there were unconfirmed
reports that Shahi had been detained and may face a court-martial.
Although Shahi's public presentation was reported today in the
independent Nepali media and by foreign news agencies, the government
ordered state-run TV, radio and newspapers not to report it and they
obeyed, according to officials at state news outlets. Sources close to
several survivors confirmed today that Shahi had acted without palace
approval, and they said his account squared with what they had witnessed.
The palace's abrupt disavowal of Shahi's statement and the possibility
that he may be punished for it have raised concern that the new monarch,
King Gyanendra, is trying to quash dissent and assert power over Nepal's
elected government. The disavowal also raised concern about a possible
split between the army, which was loyal to the late king, and the new
monarch. Shahi, an army doctor, could not have addressed the media at
the military hospital without approval from his superiors, analysts said.
But today, the army published full-page ads in all major newspapers
congratulating Gyanendra, the late king's brother, and pledging to serve
him loyally. The ads warned that "misleading" information had come out
about the murders, and it said the army remained "alert and disciplined"
in the face of any threats to national security.
June 9th
On the final day of her Russian state visit Queen
Beatrix of the Netherlands visited the Vaganova Ballet Academy and the
Pavlovsk Palace in St Petersburg. At the palace, where her ancestor Anna
Pavlovna Grand Duchess of Russia, wife of King Willem I of the
Netherlands, spent most of her youth, she received a copy of a youth
portrait of Grand Duchess Anna Pavlovna. Willem-Alexander Prince of
Oranje visited the Medical Military Academy and the juridicial institute
Prokuratura. In the afternoon they returned to The Netherlands.
Prince Albert of Monaco, Prince
Philippe and Princess Mathilde of Belgium attended the women's Grand
Slam tennis final at Roland Garros, Paris, France, in which American
Jennifer Capriati beat Belgian Kim Clijsters.
Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands no longer is the
patroness of the Dutch Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.
The Society finds it improper that hunting as a sport is still allowed
at the royal estates and that members of the royal family take part in
the hunting themselves.
June 10th
The Duke of Edinburgh celebrated his 80th birthday at
Windsor Castle. He attended a thanksgiving service at St George's Chapel,
Windsor. During the service the Dean of Windsor praised the Duke's "loyalty,
encouragement, inspiration and sheer stickability". The service was
followed by a private reception and family lunch at Windsor Castle.
Around 500 guests attended the service and reception, including former
King Constantinos II of Greece. Fifty royals, including 17 from Germany,
attended the lunch at Windsor Castle. Queen Elizabeth II said in her
speech she wished her husband a happy birthday and told him that she
can't believe he is 80.
20-year-old Filippa Princess zu Sayn-Wittgenstein-Sayn
married 35-year-old Italian Vittorio Mazzetti d'Albertis. On Friday the
civil wedding took place at the neogothic Sayn Castle. On Saturday the
bridal soiree took place there also for which some 200 family members
and friends were invited, among them many nobles. The religious wedding
took place at the Abbey Church St. Marien in Sayn today. In the
afternoon a reception was held in the Castle gardens. The dress of the
bride was made in Florence, Italy, and the veil comes from a Russian
ancestor of the bride.
A powerful probe commission investigating the
massacre at the Royal Palace began its third day of investigations
Sunday morning. The two members of the commission have already inspected
the site of the shoot-out at the Narayanhiti Royal Palace and
interviewed royal survivors and doctors at a hospital where they are
undergoing treatment and gathered forensic and other evidence. Today the
high-level commission has asked for four more days to finish up its work.
Sources said collating testimonies, testing forensic evidence, cross-checking
facts, analysing them will take till Thursday, 14 June. The report is
then expected to be formally presented to the Royal Palace and then
released over the weekend. The Commission members are aided by two
supreme court judges and have been working out of the heavily-guarded
Parliament Secretariat inside Singha Durbar. Since government offices
are closed, no visitors are allowed to enter even the main gate of
Singha Durbar.
June 11th
Reza Pahlavi II, Shah in exile of Iran, announced
with pain and deep sorrow the tragic passing away of his sister,
Princess Leila Pahlavi, after a lenghty illness. Princess Leila was born
on March 27th, 1970, as the youngest child of Shah Mohammed Reza and his
wife Empress Farah, and died in London, England.
Prince Jean of France, Duke of Vendôme, announced his
marriage to Duchess Tatjana von Oldenburg, which was supposed to take
place on September 29th in Chartres, France, has been cancelled for
personal reasons. Jean and Tatjana have decided to end their engagement.
It is rumoured Prince Jean came under pressure from his relatives to
avoid marrying a protestant. Prince Jean is known as a very strict
Catholic, and Duchess Tatjana is a strict protestant. Although it seems
that they agreed to bring their children up in the Catholic faith, there
might have been more problems that had to do with religion. The Count of
Paris, Jean's father, is quoted by The Times as saying that a marriage
is an indissoluble undertaking and a union that will last for a lifetime.
June 12th
Yesterday a police officer guarding Queen Elizabeth
II of Great Britain accidentally discharged his weapon at Buckingham
Palace as it was being checked in at the end of a shift, Scotland Yard
said. No-one was hurt and the officer involved will continue to work at
the palace, but has been temporarily withdrawn from firearms duty.
The Government Information Service says that Pieter
van Vollenhoven, husband of Princess Margriet of the Netherlands, has
skin cancer. He will be operated at the Antoni van Leeuwenhoek Hospital
on June 21st. Mr. van Vollenhoven has cancelled all his engagements.
June 13th
Princess Leila Pahlavi died at the Leonard Hotel,
West End, London. Her body was discovered by staff of the hotel on
Sunday evening. Former Empress Farah Pahlavi, Leila's mother, issued a
statement in Paris on Monday evening saying the princess died in her
sleep and that she had been very depressed for the past few years. Time
hadn't healed her wounds, that were caused by the flight from Iran and
the death of her father, Shah Mohammed Reza, shortly afterwards.
Scotland Yard said a post-mortem examination failed to reveal the cause
of death, but there were no suspicious circumstances. Police is now
awaiting the results of toxicology reports. They also searched Leila's
personal belongings to establish wether she had left a note. Newspapers
say she died of a fatal overdose of sleeping tablets. The funeral is
expected to take place in Paris.
June 14th
Two weeks after the mass murder of Nepal’s royal
family, a high-level official inquiry has concluded that Crown Prince
Dipendra killed his father, mother, brother, sister, uncle, and three
aunts in cold blood before shooting himself. Six other members of the
royal family are still in hospital. The two-member commission led by the
Chief Justice Keshab Prasad Upadhaya and the House Speaker Taranath
Ranabhat presented the findings to King Gyanendra on Thursday evening.
An hour later, Ranabhat presented a summary of the findings live on
television and radio at a raucous press conference at the parliament
secretariat. Rifles, magazines, cartridges and clothes were on display.
Most details confirm early media reports about a drugged and drunk
prince going berserk with automatic weapons, mowing down family
members.The 200-page report was the outcome of the commission’s
extensive interviews with royal survivors in hospital and other
eyewitnesses, examination of hospital records, lab analyses, ballistic
and forensic evidence. There were more than 60 specialists who helped in
the seven-day investigation headquartered in the heavily guarded
parliament secretariat. See for a summary of the report at Synopsis of
the High Level Committee Report on the Royal Palace Incident.
This afternoon Willem-Alexander Prince of Oranje and
his fiancée Máxima Zorreguieta have paid a short visit to Amsterdam.
Together with mayor Job Cohen they visited the townhall and the Wester
Church. It is possible this will be the locations for their wedding that
will take place on February 2nd, 2002.
June 16th
Two days ago the coffin with the late Princess Leila
Pahlavi was transferred to Paris where former Empress Farah of Iran, her
son Shah-in-exile Reza II Cyrus and his wife Yasmine said goodbye to her,
as did her brother Ali Reza and sister Farahnaz. Today Princess Leila
was buried at the cemetary of Passy, Paris, next to her maternal
grandmother Farideh Diba, who died last December. Among the 3000
mourners who attended the funeral were also royals: Princess Ashraf
Pahlavi, former Queen Anne Marie of Greece, Prince Nikolaos of Greece,
Vittorio Emanuele of Savoy Prince of Naples and his wife Marina,
Emanuele Filiberto of Savoy Prince of Venice, Princess Ira of
Fürstenberg, the Duke and Duchess of Orléans and the Count of Evreux.
Queen Elizabeth II of Great Britain had to hide under
an umbrella when she rode in her carriage to the annual Trooping the
Colour parade to celebrate her official birthday. The carriage was
followed by the Prince of Wales, Duke of Edinburgh, Duke of Kent and the
Princess Royal, who all rode on horses. Another carriage rode the Queen
Mother, Earl and Countess of Wessex to the parade. The 2nd Battalion
Grenadier Guards marched through inches of rainwater in front of Queen
Elizabeth II and about 8000 spectators at the Horse Guards Parade ground.
The Queen Mother and several other members of the royal family watched
the parade from the shelter of the Duke of Wellington's office
overlooking the Horse Guards. The King's Troop Royal Horse Artillery
soldiered on with a 41-gun royal salute from nearby Green Park.
Unfortunately the weather forced the Royal Air Force to cancel a flypast
over Buckingham Palace. After the parade the Queen and other members of
the family appeared briefly n the palace balcony.
The Nepalese government has said it will not make any
further investigations into Crown Prince Dipendra's motive for killing
his family.
June 17th
Prince Carl Philip of Sweden returned home after
having spent two months at the marineship HMS Carlskrona. He came on
board at Muscat, Oman, on April 28th. His parents and sisters welcomed
him. Carl Philip said he was very happy to be at home again, although he
loved the time he spent on board.
According to a poll by the Dutch royal tv-program
"Van Koninklijke Huize" Máxima Zorreguieta 26% mention her the most
popular member of the Royal House of the Netherlands (although according
to me she will not be a member until her weddingday). Queen Beatrix
finished in second place with 24%, while Princess Margriet got 18% of
the votes. With 37% Prince Claus still leads the popular male royals
list, followed by Willem-Alexander Prince of Oranje with 30%.
June 18th
The only two-month-old National Movement for Simeon
II has won the Bulgarian elections on Sunday with an overwhelming
majority. The party won 43,05% of the votes and thus 120 of the 240
seats in the Bulgarian parliament, which was just one seat short of
sealing an absolute majority in parliament. The party who has former
King Simeon II of Bulgaria, who ruled the county as a boy king between
1943 and 1946, as one of its leaders - although he officially didn't run
for parliament - promised to transform Bulgaria in 800 days with a
radical liberal reform program to attract foreign investment, slash
taxes and root out corruption. The party now will begin negotiations on
a coalition government. King Simeon has said that he supports a broad
coalition government with those who share his priorities. It is said it
is likely that King Simeon remains behind the scene and will choose to
remain without an official position. Under Bulgarian law, however, he
could become prime minister if he wants.
In Sweden the celebration of the 25th wedding
anniversary of King Carl XVI Gustaf and Queen Silvia started this
afternoon with a boat trip at the Mälär lake to the Vikingtown of Birka.
The boat trip ended in Mariefred and the guests were walking or driven
to their hotels nearby. In the evening a huge ball with the theme
renaissance/Middle Ages was held at Gripsholm Castle. The about 120
invited guests wore historical inspired costumes. Among the guests were
the Norwegian Royal Family, Queen Margrethe II and Prince Henrik of
Denmark (who had arrived with the royal ship the Dannebrog earlier today),
Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands, Willem-Alexander Prince of Oranje with
his fiancée Máxima Zorreguieta, Prince Constantijn and Princess
Laurentien of the Netherlands, Grand Duke Henri and Grand Duchess Maria
Teresa of Luxembourg, Felipe Prince of Asturias, Prince Albert of Monaco,
Archduke Lorenz of Austria, Princess Benedikte of Denmark with her
husband Prince Richard zu Sayn-Wittgenstein-Berleburg, former King
Constantine and Queen Anne Marie of Greece. Prince Carl Philip of Sweden
was there also, but was hiding for the photographers.
Two photographers cleared of
contributing to Princess Diana's death have been placed under
investigation on charges of invading the privacy of Dodi Fayed. The case
stems from a complaint by Mohamed Al Fayed, Dodi's father, said a lawyer
for the photographers. Al Fayed contends the two men invaded his son's
privacy when they photographed him on August 31, 1997, the night of the
fatal crash. The two photographers, Serge Benhamou and Laszlo Veres,
were among nine photographers and one motorcyclist cleared in September
1999 - and on appeal last October - of causing the three deaths. Judge
Herve Stephan ruled that alcohol, drugs and excessive speed - all on the
part of the driver - had caused the crash, and said that the
photographers' behaviour, while severely criticised by witnesses, did
not constitute a crime under French law. But Judge Stephan never
explored the charge of invading privacy, and the appeals court ruled
that the charge should be investigated. The case involves only pictures
of Dodi Fayed because of all the victims, his family is the only one
that has made the claim.
June 19th
King Carl XVI Gustaf and Queen Silvia of Sweden
visited Trosa. Their guests took the boat from Östra Ågatan and visited
the Askö marine laboratory. The visit was a little bit overshadowed by
the accident of Máxima Zorreguieta, the fiancée of Willem-Alexander
Prince of Oranje. She slipped at the wet rocks and was taken to hospital
in Stockholm. She turned out to have broken her leg just above her right
ankle. In the evening she, Willem-Alexander and Queen Beatrix returned
to the Netherlands by plane, missing the last events of that day. In the
late afternoon King Carl XVI Gustaf and Queen Silvia received a tribute
outside the Palace. In the evening a huge final concert took place in
the garden of the Drottningholm Palace, for which also the people could
buy tickets. About 300 guests were invited. Also King Juan Carlos and
Queen Sofia of Spain were attending the gala concert in which Swedish
top artists and Spice Girl Mel C. performed.
June 21st
In a moving ceremony at the once notorious Villa
Pauly yesterday afternoon, Grand Duke Henri presented his father Grand
Duke Jean with the Croix de la Résistance. The order of merit of the
Conseil national de la Résistance CNR is normally only given
posthumously, but for members of the grandducal family there sometimes
was made an exception. Also Grand Duchess Charlotte and her husband
Prince Felix once received this order of merit. Grand Duke Jean said
that it was a great honour to receive the medal.
June 22nd
This afternoon Willem-Alexander Prince of Oranje and
his fiancée Máxima Zorreguieta visited the cabinet council and met the
members of the Dutch Cabinet. Prime Minister Wim Kok and Vice-Prime
Ministers Els Borst and Annemarie Jorritsma explained to the couple how
the cabinet council works. On July 3rd the couple will visit the Senate
and the Second Chamber, who on that day meet in the Ridderzaal in The
Hague to discuss the Act of Consent for the wedding. Yesterday it was
made known that mayor Job Cohen will solemnize the civil wedding of
Willem-Alexander and Máxima.
Pieter van Vollenhoven left the Antoni van
Leeuwenhoek Hospital in Amsterdam after doctors removed some skin tissue
yesterday. The skin tissue will be examined further. Lately it was found
out the husband of Princess Margriet of the Netherlands has a kind of
skin cancer.
Queen Elizabeth II of Great Britain will mark her
Golden Jubilee next summer with a three-month-tour of the United Kingdom.
There will be visits to all the countries and regions of the United
Kingdom between May 1st and August 5th. The focal point of the
celebrations will be a four-day holiday weekend from June 1st to June
4th, as was already announced earlier.
June 23rd
Prince Bernhard of Baden married Stephanie Kaul in a
religious ceremony at Salem Castle. Yesterday the civil marriage also
took place at Salem Castle. One of the witnesses was Marie Louise,
Bernhard's elder sister. Among the about 200 guests were Queen Sofia of
Spain, King Constantinos of Greece, Grand Duke Jean and Grand Duchess
Joséphine-Charlotte of Luxemburg, Prince Guillaume and Princess Sibilla
of Luxemburg, Prince Ernst August and Princess Caroline of Hannover,
Duke Max Emanuel in Bavaria, Duke Carl of Württemberg and Landgrave
Moritz of Hessen. After the wedding the couple left for a short
honeymoon. The destination remained a secret till the end, even to the
bride.
Already yesterday afternoon Grand Duke Henri and
Grand Duchess Maria Teresa of Luxemburg visited the town of Esch where
they were received by many enthusiastic people. Back in Luxemburg City
the festal changing of the guards in front of the grand-ducal palace
took place. There was lots of music in the streets the whole evening. At
22:00 a torch-light procession to the Place Guillaume and thereafter
also a military parade took place, the last also passed the stand with
the grand-ducal family. The evening ended with the traditional huge
fireworks above the city. This morning a military parade in presence of
Grand Duke Henri was held and the new banner of the Luxemburg army with
the monogram of Grand Duke Henri was shown. Afterwards the Grand Duke,
Grand Duchess and their children Alexandra and Sébastien attended the
"Te Deum" at the cathedral of Our Lady. Concerts and animation went on
in the streets until the evening.
Máxima Zorreguieta had surgery on her right ankle
this morning at the Haagse Rode Kruis Hospital after an examination
showed the ankle was broken on two places. A metal plate was attached to
her ankle with screws. Most likely the plaster around the ankle can be
removed in eight weeks. In the afternoon she returned to Palace Huis ten
Bosch, where she lives at the moment.
June 25th
The King of Swaziland has declared a state of
emergency that allows him to jail people who make fun of him. It also
eliminates bail for many crimes and prevents newspapers from challenging
publishing bans. The government of King Mswati III issued the decree
without giving an explanation for the move. King Mswati III has come
under increasing criticism over the past year for his authoritarian rule
and muzzling of the press.
June 26th
300 Years after the start of the
building of the New Palace in Schleissheim near München, Germany, the
palace can be seen in its full glory again. After restoration the
splendid residence of Elector Max Emanuel of Bavaria can be visited
again.
Knud Count Holstein-Ledreborg, husband of Princess
Marie Gabrielle of Luxembourg (a sister of Grand Duke Jean), died
yesterday evening after a period of illness at the age of 81. The burial
service is scheduled for June 30th at the chapel of the Ledreborg Castle.
Until 1990, when he handed over the family estate to his daughter
Silvia, he was the owner of one of Denmark’s most beautiful and famous
castles, Ledreborg.
Some of the most splendid pieces of art from the
princely collections of Liechtenstein will return to Vienna, Austria,
after 58 years. They will be shown at a private museum at the baroque
Liechtenstein Garden Palace in Vienna from Easter 2003. At the beginning
of 1945 the collection was transferred to Vaduz Castle Liechtenstein
because of the danger at the end of World War II. Since they were only
shown at two exhibitions.
Willem-Alexander Prince of Oranje has been
interviewed about the Srebrenica-drama by the Dutch Institute for War
Documentation. It is said he was interviewed because he visited the
Dutch troops (Dutchbat) in Zagreb, Croatia, just before and after the
drama that took place in 1995 and has been talking to soldiers at that
time. The Institute researches the fall of Srebrenica in which thousands
of Muslims were killed by the Serbians when they occupied the town. The
Dutchbat, working for the United Nations, were in Srebrenica to protect
the town for the Serbs.
The Prince of Wales and Camilla Parker Bowles kissed
eachother in public for the very first time. Camilla Parker Bowles
officially received the Prince as he arrived at a charity reception at
London's Somerset House. The Prince kissed her on both cheeks.
June 27th
About 2100 veteran military men and former members of
the Dutch resistance paid a tribute to Prince Bernhard of the
Netherlands in the garden of Soestdijk Palace, on the occasion of his
90th birthday on June 29th. From a jeep the Prince inspected them. Also
Willem-Alexander Prince of Oranje was present. Prince Bernhard told he
said five years ago that he hoped to make it to this year's tribute and
is happy he really made it. He has told his doctors he wants to go on
another five years and that he thinks they want to help him with that.
June 28th
The Government Information Service says in the skin
tissue from Pieter van Vollenhoven that was removed one week ago no
spread of cancer cells was found. The doctors call the prognosis hopeful.
Queen Elizabeth II of Great Britain spent £ 3m less
of taxpayers's money in 2000/01 than in the previous year, the Royal
Family's first-ever annual spending review shows. The Queen spent £ 35m
of tax income during the period. The large reduction mainly reflected a
cut in travel expenditure from £ 8,6m to £ 5,4m since the 1999-2000
period.
Queen Modjadji V of the Bolobedu, born in the forests
of Ga-Modjadji, South Africa, died in hospital in Pietersburg today,
aged 64. She succeeded her mother as the Rain Queen in 1982. She
belonged to a dynasty of female rulers (modjadji) who were entrusted
with the knowledge of the secret rituals of rainmaking. The matriarchal
dynasty commanded respect among even its more martial neighbours, the
Zulus and the Swazis. Queen Modjadji V had two daughters, but none of
them survived their mother.
June 29th
Her personal secretary announced that Princess
Margarita de Bourbon de Parma, eldest daughter of the Duke of Parma and
Princess Irene of the Netherlands, and her boyfriend Edwin de Roy van
Zuydewijn got married in a civil ceremony in Amsterdam, the Netherlands,
on June 19th. The wedding was attended by members of their families and
some friends. The religious wedding will take place later this year, but
a date hasn't been revealed yet.
In a television interview on the occasion of his 90th
birthday Prince Bernhard of the Netherlands says he hopes to live
another five year. He has still so much to do and he wants to finish
things. He has an enormous desire to survive. He admits he is probably
the only Dutch who likes to go to hospital, because he knows they treat
him well and he gets a few days rest. He still likes to work and thinks
he would become crazy if he couldn't work anymore. However he says he is
not afraid of the death. About his wife Princess Juliana, he said that
there is taken care of her 24 hours a day by two women. The doctor
visits her regularly. She watches television a lot and sometimes goes
out. The last time she was doing allright was during the journey to
Africa with children and grandchildren on their 60th wedding anniversary.
After she broke her hip, it all went worse quickly. Her memory is 'zero'
and sometimes she doesn't recognise people anymore. He further talked
about the Lockheed affair and says he has a clean conscience. He did
something with the best intentions and did something very stupid, which
was quite naief.
A £ 3m fountain in memory of Diana Princess of Wales
is to be built in Hyde Park, the British government has announced. The
fountain is due to be completed by the summer of 2003, after a design
competition open to water engineers, architects, artists and ecologists.
It will not include a statue or any figurative representation of the
late Princess. The fountain will be paid for by public funds, partly met
by the sale of official commemorative coins. The site has been chosen
after advice from a committee headed by Princess Diana's close friend
Rosa Monckton. The group included landscape designers, architects and
art experts.
June 30th
Today Princess Arriana zu Hohenlohe-Langenburg (at
the photo with her father) married Dixon Boardman, 30 years her senior,
at the Roman Catholic Church de la Encarnación in Marbella, Spain. Her
dress was designed by Emmanuel Ungaro. Several royals and nobles
attended the wedding. Arriana is the daughter of Prince Alfonso and his
second wife, actress Jackie Lane.
Synopsis of the High Level
Committee Report on the Royal Palace Incident
Unofficial translation taken from Nepal Home Page and
the Nepali Times.
NettyRoyal.nl
In the course of collecting facts about the incident
that transpired at Narayanhity Royal Palace the night of June l, 200l,
the high level committee carried out an observation of the site of the
incident, collected physical items and materials and subjected these to
scientific tests, and interrogated eye witnesses, those affected by the
incident, and royal guards as well as individuals involved in the relief
work and doctors involved in the treatment. Besides this, inquiries were
made with individuals where this was thought necessary on the basis of
facts that came to light from people with whom inquiries were made in
the course of the investigations, and necessary records and documents
were sent for from places concerned. From investigations made on that
basis the following facts have emerged:
l. In keeping with the tradition of regular
family gatherings held at Narayanhity Royal Palace on the third Friday
of every month, such a gathering was organised on Friday June l, 200l
also. His Majesty King Birenda Bir Bikram Shah Dev, Her Majesty Queen
Aishwarya Rajya Laxmi Devi Shah, Her Majesty Queen Mother Ratna Rajya
Laxmi Devi Shah, His Royal Highness Crown Prince Dipendra Bir Bikram
Shah and His Royal Highness Prince Nirajan Bir Bikram Shah were present
at the gathering held at the Tribhvan Sadan of Narayanhity Royal Palace
as were all the 24 invitees including other members of the royal family
and royal relatives, except Her Royal Highness Princess Prekchhya Rajya
Laxmi Devi Shah, Kumar Sri Mohan Bahadur Shahi and Raj Kumari Bimala
Singh, according to a letter of the principal secretariat of His Majesty
the King dated June 8, 200l. The names of the invited guests are given
in appendix.
2. His Royal Highness Crown Prince Dipendra
Bir Bikram Shah Dev (hereafter HRH the Crown Prince) arrived first at
the venue of the gathering at Tribhuvan Sadan at 7.30 pm, it is
confirmed by royal ADC Gajenda Bohara and waiters. Thereafter, the other
invitees arrived one after another by 8 pm, it is apparent. At 8 pm, HRH
the Crown Prince proceeded to Mahendra-Manzil by his car and conveyed
Her Majesty the Queen Mother, with himself at the wheel, to Tribhuvan
Sadan, the venue of the gathering, it is also apparent. Her Majesty the
Queen Mother then remained with Her Royal Highnesss Princess Helen Shaha
in the small chamber known as Sano Baithak to the east of the billiard
hall. After the royal family members and royal relatives arrived, His
Majesty King Birendra Bir Bikram Shah Dev (hereafter HM the King)
finally arrived directly at Tribhuvan Sadan on foot from his office
around 8.30 pm, had a darshan of Her Majesty the Queen Mother and after
some pleasantries proceeded towards the billiard room, it has come to
light from eye witnesses to the sequence of events.
3. HRH the Crown Prince at 7.30 pm, played billiards by
himself for some time at the billiard room at Tribhuvan Sadan and in the
course of that drank one or two pegs of Famous Grouse whisky neat,
according to HRH the Crown Prince's ADC Gajendra Bohara and royal
relatives Maheshwar Singh and Rabi Shumsher J.B.R.. A little before HM
the King arrived at the Tribhuvan Sadan (some l0-l2 minutes before),
four individuals including HRH Prince Nirajan, HRH Prince Paras, Kumar
Gorakh and Dr Rajeev saw HRH the Crown Prince swaying, unable to hold
himself upright, and wondering if it was not the effect of the whisky,
they took HRH the Crown Prince to his bed chamber inside Tribhuvan Sadan,
it is learnt from eye witnesses.
4. While in the billiard room HRH the Crown Prince had
ordered his ADC Gajendra Bohara by mobile phone at 8.l9 pm to fetch
cigarettes and Gajendra Bohara, as ordered, brought a special kind of
cigarette prepared with a mixture of hashish and another unnamed black
substance as per an order to royal orderly Ram Krishan KC, and proceeded
to the east door of the billiard hall and entrusted them to HRH Prince
Paras, according to the said Ram Krishna. HRH the Crown Prince himself
made arrangements for the hashish and the black substance, it was not
known from where it could have come, and since about a year ago he had
been making such cigarettes, orderly of HRH the Crown Prince Ram Krishna
KC said before the committee. Orderly Ram Krishna KC's version has been
corroborated by royal ADCs to HRH the Crown Prince Gajendra Bohara and
Raju Karki who said before the committee that HRH the Crown Prince used
to smoke such cigarettes.
5. According to particulars received from the
telecommunications corporation, it is learnt from the documentation
there that HRH the Crown Prince talked to Debyani Rana for one minute l4
seconds on his mobile no. 98l02l5l3 at 8.l2 pm on June l, 200l through
mobile no. 98l024339 of Usha Rana, and the second time Debyani Rana
talked to HRH the Crown Prince for 4 minutes l4 seconds on mobile no.
98l02l5l3l from mobile no. 0l42305l at 9.l9 pm. Finally, at 8.39 HRH the
Crown Prince talked to Debyabni Rana for 32 seconds on his mobile no.
98l02l5l3 through mobile no. 98l024339, according to the same
particulars. HRH the Crown Prince had close ties with Miss Debyani Rana
of Maharajgunj, according to royal ADCs Gajendra Bohara and Raju Karki
as well as Supriya Shaha, a friend of HRH the Crown Prince. Debyani's
mother and father themselves pointed out in the course of inquiries
before the committee that there was contact between HRH the Crown Prince
and Debyani Rana. That there was a close relationship between HRH the
Crown Prince and herself was confirmed by Devyani Rana herself (in a
tape recording of her voice) when questioned by Royal Nepalese
Ambassador to India Dr Bhekh Bahadur Thapa as empowered by the committee.
6. Miss Debyani Rana said as matters concerning HRH the Crown
Prince were her personal affair she did not want to say anything about
them and that at 8.25 pm when the exchanges were taking place with HRH
the Crown Prince his speech sounded slurred so further exchange could
not take place, adding that "the voice of HRH the Crown Prince was
somewhat slurred, is he somewhat unwell? She wondered and phoned HRH the
Crown Prince's ADC Gajendra Bohara at his office and Raju Karki at his
home urging them to go have a look at the bed chamber".
7. After Miss Debyani Rana phoned ADC gajenda bohara and Raju
Karki passed the message to Gajendra Boraha by phone, Ramkrishna KC,
orderly to HRH the Crown Prince, and dware ama Jamuna Adhikari, as
ordered by Bohara, reached the bed chamber of HRH the Crown Prince
whereupon they found HRH the Crown Prince prone on the ground and trying
to undo the clothing on the upper part of his body. They helped take off
the clothing and after that HRH the Crown Prince proceeded to the
bathroom. Jamuna Adhikari also herd retching noises coming from the
bathroom and after coming out of the bathroom HRH the Crown Prince
ordered them both to go to their respective rooms to sleep, according to
the dware ama and orderly Ramkrishna KC.
8. At 8.39 in the evening HRH the Crown Prince talked on his
mobile phone no. 98l02l5l3 to Miss Debyani Rana on mobile no 98l024339
for 32 seconds as evident from records at the telecommunications
corporation and this has been conceded by Miss Rana adding that HRH the
Crown Prince had said "I am now about to sleep", "good night, we'll talk
tomorrow".
9. After the phone contact with Miss Debyani Rana, HRH the
Crown Prince put on army combat dress and came out of the bed chamber
with weapons where he was seen by HRH Crown Prince's orderly Ramkrishna
who thought the Crown Prince was about to go out and said "shall the
emergency bag be brought sire", whereupon HRH the Crown Prince replied "it's
not necessary now", according to orderly Ramkrishna.
10. HRH the Crown Prince in combat fatigues and armed on both
sides with rifle and revolver proceeded towards the billiard hall,
according to 'boys' Bachuram KC who saw HRH the Crown Prince from the
eastern room of the dining hall adjoining the billiard hall.
11. HRH the Crown Prince in combat fatigues entered the
billiard hall and fired at the ceiling and west wall with a 9 mm Caliber
MP-5K automatic sub-machine gun and then fired rat-tat-tat at His
Majesty the King who was then standing near the east end of the billiard
table talking to others. All the while HRH the Crown Prince moved back
and came out of the billiard room, threw the l2 bore SPAS l2-L FRENCH
SPA gun near the stairs to the north of the inner garden edge east of
the hall, then entered the billiard room again aiming the 5.56 caliber
Colt M-l6 A2 rifle with light and telescope and fired rat-tat-tat again
at His Majesty the King, Kumar Gorakh Shumsher Rana, Sri Dhirendra Shah
and Kumar Khadga Bikram Shah, then moved back to reach the door, and
again advanced to fire indiscriminately a third time hitting HRH
Princess Shruti Rajya Laxmi Devi Rana, HRH Princess Sharada Rajya Laxmi
Devi Shah, HRH Princess Shanti Rajya Laxmi Rana and HRH Princess Jayanti
Shah as well as others. HRH the Crown Prince moved back out of the
billiard hall and to the east towards the inner garden, according to HRH
Princess Shova, HRH Prince Paras, Kumar Gorakh, Ketaki Chestar, Rabi
Shumsher, Dr Rajeev Shahi and Maheshwar Kumar Singh who were present at
the site.
12. As HRH the Crown Prince moved back towards the inner
garden to the east after firing indiscriminately at the billiard hall a
third time, a female figure in red sari was seen giving chase in that
direction, as seen by 'boys' Santa Bahadur Khadka among others from the
dinning room to the north adjoining the billiard hall, Khadka said. HRH
Prince Nirajan followed Her Majesty Queen Aishwarya Rajya Laxmi Devi
Shah (hereafter Her Majesty the Queen) via the pathway from the billiard
room towards the inner garden to the east to a small convergence point
between the pathway from the garden to the bed chamber in Tribhuvan
Sadan and the pathway to the shed to the east, according to Mrs Ketaki
Chestar among others, and shots were fired from north to south after
crossing a ladder there and while standing at the small meadow, going by
observation of the site including the state of the empty cartridge
shells and bullet marks on the wall to the south. HRH Prince Nirajan was
found laying prone in an unconscious state with the head to the east and
Major Bishnu Khadka and others carried HRH the Prince and brought him
outside, put him in a car and took him to hospital, according to Major
Bishnu Khadka among others.
13. According to royal ADCs, after the firing at the billiard
hall the royal ADCs sitting in the inner room of the ADC office on the
right hand side of the main gate of Tribhuvan Sadan heard the sound of
firing and the alarm "call the doctors soon..." and entered the billiard
hall by breaking the glass of the door , which is to the south of the
hall and always remains closed, to immediately start rescue work from
the hall. Royal ADC Colonel Sundar Pratap Rana, among others, entered
the hall, carried His Majesty the King, who was unconscious, out to the
car and drove to the military hospital, Chhauni, the ADCs said.
14. It was seen during the observation of the site of the
incident that brain tissues, a few teeth and jaws, red tika, two ear
pins, broken pieces of red glass bangles and blood stains were scattered
here and there at the place where Her Majesty the Queen was said to have
been lying after indiscriminate firing at Her Majesty at the upper part
(seventh) step of the inner staircase leading to the bed chamber of His
Royal Highness the Crown Prince, which can be reached after crossing a
bridge over a pond, turning to the north and passing through the main
gate that leads to the bed chamber upstairs.
15. Major Bishnu Khadka and the royal ADCs, who was involved
in the rescue work, also told the committee that His Royal Highness the
Crown Prince was found lying on his back and gurgling to the south of
the small bridge over the little pond at the garden in front of
Tribhuvan Sadan where the bed chamber of His Royal Highness the Crown
Prince is situated. During the observation of the site of the incident,
a 9mm. caliber Glock Ges. pistol, which His Royal Highness the Crown
Prince was said to be in possession of, and empty cartridges discharged
from the pistol were found in the water of the pond in the eastern side.
Also during the observation a 5.56 caliber M-16 A2 rifle was found on a
small lawn to the south of the same place.
16. After the incident at the above
mentioned billiard hall, and at the garden to the east of the hall
and the staircase leading to the bed chamber, Royal ADCs and other
security personnel rushed the victims to Shree Birendra Military
Hospital, Chhauni. The committee has received the following
information regarding the time they reached the hospital and their
condition at that time:
(a) His Majesty King Birendra Bir Bikram Shah Dev was
pronounced dead upon arrival at Birendra Military Hospital at 9:15 in
the evening.
(b) Her Majesty Queen Aishwarya Rajya Laxmi Devi Shah
was pronounced dead upon arrival at Birendra Military Hospital at 9:15
in the evening
(c) His Royal Highness Prince Nirajan Bir Bikram Shah
was pronounced dead upon arrival at Birendra Military Hospital at 9:15
in the evening.
(d) Her Royal Highness Princess Sruti Rajya Laxmi
Devi Rana, who reached Birendra Military Hospital at 9:20 in the evening,
was pronounced dead at the hospital at 9:55 the same evening.
(e) Her Royal Highness Princess Shanti Rajya Laxmi
Devi Singh was pronounced dead upon arrival at Birendra Military
Hospital at 9:30 in the evening.
(f) Her Royal Highness Princess Sharada Rajya Laxmi
Devi Shah was pronounced dead upon arrival at Birendra Military Hospital
at 9:30 in the evening.
(g) Her Royal Highness Princess Jayanti Rajya Laxmi
Shah was pronounced dead upon arrival at Birendra Military Hospital at
9:30 in the evening.
(h) Kumar Khadga Bikram Shah was pronounced dead upon
arrival at Birendra Military Hospital at 9:35 in the evening.
(i) His Royal Highness Crown Prince Dipendra Bir
Bikram Shah Dev, who reached Birendra Military Hospital at 9:24 P.M. on
June 1, 2001, was pronounced dead at 3:45 A.M. at the hospital on June
4, 2001.
(j) Mr. Dhirendra shah, who reached Birendra Military
Hospital at 9:24 P.M. on June 1, 2001, was pronounced dead at 5:57 P.M.
at the hospital on June 4, 2001.
17. No information regarding the death of anyone in the
incident other than the 10 (ten) mentioned above has been received.
18. Reports from the hospital confirm that Her Majesty Queen
Komal Rajya Laxmi Devi Shah, Her Royal Highness Princess Shobha Rajya
Laxmi Shahi, Kumar Gorakh Shumsher J. B. Rana and Mrs. Ketaki Chestar,
all victims of the incident, have sustained serious injuries.
19. According to a letter dated June 10, 2001 received from
Birendra Military Hospital, Chhauni, when His Royal Highness the Crown
Prince was taken to the hospital immediately after the incident, HRH the
Crown Prince was wearing black army boots, a camouflage (combat) army
jacket and trousers, black leather gloves, black stockings and a
camouflage vest. The committee took possession of the clothing, gloves
and boots for inspection and after a laboratory test on the blood stains
and some yellowish substances on them experts concerned concluded that
the stains were of blood group "B". Among the deceased, Her Majesty the
Queen and His Royal Highness the Crown Prince also have been found to
have blood group "B".
20. The committee has also received a letter from the
hospital, which states that upon arrival at the hospital His Royal
Highness the Crown Prince was wearing gloves and the gloves have been
handed in to the committee. No gloves other than the single pair (of
gloves) in question have been found at the site of the incident and the
hospital.
21.
(a) Forty-seven (47) cartridge cases fired from a 5.56 caliber colt
m-16 A2 with weapon number A0073943 (commando) automatic rifle have been
recovered. It has been learnt from experts concerned that the rifle can
fire 700 to 1,000 bullets per minute.
(b) Experts concerned are of the opinion that the 29 cartridge cases
found at the site of the incident were fired from a 9mm. caliber MP-5 K
automatic sub-machine gun, which can fire up to 900 bullets per minute.
(c) It has been learnt from experts concerned that the two (2)
cartridge cases found at the site of the incident were fired from a 9mm.
caliber MP-5 K automatic Ges.m.b.H pistol. The cartridges were found in
the pond near the small bridge where His Royal Highness the Crown Prince
is said to have been found lying injured by rescuers.
(d) Captain Madhav Bhandari told the committee at its office that
the M-16 gun with no. A0073943 mentioned in chapter (a) was issued as
per the demand made by the Royal Guard Military Police, the Royal Palace
on 056/5/31 Bikram Era and handed in to the Royal Palace armory (kotkhana)
after acquiring it from the Royal Nepalese Army arsenal. In course of
his interrogation, ADC to His Royal Highness the Crown Prince Gajendra
Bohara mentioned that His Royal Highness the Crown Prince carried this
weapon when he went on trekking, and there was a practice of His Royal
Highness the Crown Prince taking weapons directly from the Royal Palace
armory (kotkhana) whenever His Royal Highness the Crown Prince so wished.
(e) It has also been found that one pistol and a 9mm. caliber gun
were issued as per the demand from the Royal ADC office, the Royal
Palace on 2053/1/27 Bikram Era and 2056/7/28 Bikram Era. According to
ADC to His Royal Highness the Crown Prince Gajendra Bohara, the weapons
were in HRH the Crown Prince's possession.
(f) Details received from the Royal Palace show that the 9mm. G19
Glock pistol with no. YY 334 was also issued from the arsenal to hand it
in to His Royal Highness Prince Nirajan.
(g) Neither the opinions of experts concerned nor the cartridges
recovered confirmed that the 9mm. caliber Glock pistol found at the
billiard hall and the 12 bore single barrel shot gun recovered from a
corner south-west of the lawn were fired during the incident.
22. No entrance to the site of the incident other than the
main gate which houses the ADC office inside Tribhuvan Sadan at the
Narayanhity Royal Palace and a small closed gate in the eastern part
were found during the observation of the site of the incident. A sketch
of the site of the incident is in annex to this report.
23. That bullet injuries were the cause of death of all
killed in the incident, which took place at the Narayanhity Royal Palace
on June 1, 2001, has been substantiated also by the opinion of the
physicians concerned of Birendra Military Hospital, Chhauni. Also the
injured said in course of interrogations that they sustained the
injuries from gun shots. Information received from Birendra Military
Hospital also revealed that gun shots were the cause of the injuries
sustained by victims of the incident currently at the hospital.
Press release
As part of the process of making public the factual details about
the tragic incident that took place during a family gathering at the
Narayanhity Royal Palace on the night of June 1, 200l, His Majesty King
Gyanendra Bir Bikram Shah Dev announced the formation of a high level
committee with Chief Justice Keshav Prasad Upadhyaya as Chairman and
Speaker of Parliament Taranath Rana Bhat and opposition leader in the
House of Representatives Madhav Kumar Nepal as members on June 4, 2001,
requiring the committee to submit its report in three days.
The resignation submitted to His Majesty the King on June 6, 2001 by
member of the committee Mr. Madhav Kumar Nepal through its Chairman
citing his party's decision not to work on the high level committee and
pledging at the same time his party's and his own full cooperation in
the process of investigation.
The Principal Secretariat of His Majesty the King issued a
communique on June 6, 2001establishing the following terms of reference
for the committee:
1. To submit to His Majesty the King a report along with the factual
details about the incident that took place at the Royal Palace on June
1, 2001.
2. The committee will have the following powers:
a) To observe the site of the incident and collect necessary details
along with photographs.
b) Acquire information from family members and other individuals
present at the gathering at the site of incident, individuals providing
security and other services at the Royal Palace, doctors and nurses
involved in the treatment and other individuals whom the committee deems
essential to interview.
c) To collect and examine the weapons, bullets and other objects
concerned with the incident and acquire reports on the test and
examinations conducted by the hospital in connection with the incident.
d) To take necessary help from experts concerned regarding the
incident.
e) To seek the assistance of individuals concerned in connection
with the execution of the committee's duties.
3. The tenure of office of the committee will be three days starting
from the date of initiating its work.
4. The office of the committee will be set up at a place specified
by the Chairman.
5. The committee will specify its other procedures on its own.
The same communique confirmed the acceptance of the resignation
submitted by member of the committee and opposition leader in the House
of Representatives Mr. Madhav Kumar Nepal.
As stated in the communique issued by the Principal Secretariat of
His Majesty the King on June 6, 2001, the office of the committee was
set up at the parliament building on parliament premises as specified by
the Chairman of the committee. The committee started its work from June
8, 2001.
Information and data were collected in course of gathering factual
details about the incident in line with the royal proclamation of His
Majesty the King while remaining within the framework of the terms of
reference specified in the communique issued by the Principal
Secretariat of His Majesty the King. The committee's modus operandi was
worked out in line with the communique which had authorized the
committee to specify its own working procedure. Basically the following
methodology was adopted for collection of factual details about the
incident:
(a) Interrogation of the victims of the incident and Royal Family
members present at the site of the incident, royal relatives, and
security guards, chefs, attendants, Royal Palace service office bearers,
individuals engaged in rescue work, physicians and nurses involved in
medical treatment and other individuals who seem to be associated with
the incident.
(b) Study of notices and data received from the Principal
Secretariat of His Majesty the King and Birendra Military Hospital, and
records and documents relating to the medical treatment.
(c) Collection of guns, bullets, cartridges, blood, brain tissue,
fingerprints and clothing found at the site of the incident, and study
of scientific and chemical test reports by the experts concerned.
(d) Consultations with experts concerned, narcotic drug experts and
psychologists on the opinions given by experts about the guns, bullets,
blood, brain tissue and finger prints, and on technical matters stated
in documents relating to medical treatment collected in course of the
investigation.
As it took some more time to complete laboratory tests on various
physical substances recovered from the site of the incident in course of
submitting a report after following the above methodology and the report
could not be completed within the specified time, His Majesty the King
extended the tenure of office of the committee by four days starting
from June 11, 2001 as per the request of the committee.
