Coronation 27 October 1972 Children Jigme Singye Wangchuck Role Born 1930 | Name Kesang Choden Predecessor Phuntsho Choden Grandparents Thutob Namgyal | |
Tenure 30 March 1952 – 21 July 1972 Successor Dorji Wangmo
Tshering Pem
Tshering Yangdon
Sangay Choden Born 21 May 1930 (age 94)
Bhutan House, Kalimpong, India ( 1930-05-21 ) Spouse Jigme Dorji Wangchuck
(m. 1951–72; his death) Issue Sonam Choden Wangchuck
Dechan Wangmo Wangchuck
Jigme Singye Wangchuck
Pema Lhaden Wangchuck
Kesang Wangmo Wangchuck Parents Mayeum Choying Wangmo Dorji, Gonzing Sonam Tobgye Dorji Grandchildren Kesang Choden Wangchuck Great-grandparents Tshudpud Namgyal, Maharani Menchi Similar People Jigme Singye Wangchuck, Kesang Choden Wangchuck, Tshering Pem, Sangay Choden, Dorji Wangmo | ||
Ashi Kesang Choden is the Queen Grandmother of Bhutan. She participates in royal duties of her own accord. She is the only queen grandmother in the world. In Bhutan she is called The Royal Grandmother.
Contents
Education
She was educated at the St Joseph’s Convent, Kalimpong, India, as well as the House of Citizenship, London.
In her reminiscence, Her Majesty notes:
The Irish nuns of St. Joseph’s Convent werevery well educated and taught us well. The nuns were most kind and loving to me and I in turn loved and respected them greatly.
Marriage and Family
She became Queen consort of Bhutan in 1952 when she her husband the king Jigme Dorji Wangchuck ascended to the throne upon the death of his father. In 1954 she was expecting her first child. Her first child arrived earlier than she expected as she was waiting for a Western doctor and her mother to travel to Thimphu to help with the delivery. The previous Queen Phuntsho Choden, her maid, and the Bhutanese doctor Phenchun helped to deliver her daughter.
Royal duties
In 1972, she was appointed regent when her husband was ill. Her Majesty has also been a patron of annual prayers conducted for the well-being and security of the King, country, and the people. She provides subsistence allowance to about 200 monks and tshampas (lay monks) in various monasteries in Bumthang, Dokar Phurdrub Gompa and Euto Gompa in Paro, Nyala Gompa in Trongsa and Jangsa Gompa in Kalimpong, India. She also has a keen interest in preserving the unique art, architecture and cultural heritage of Bhutan and in promoting research and scholarship on the kingdom. She often visits religious places in Bhutan and India.
In commemoration of Her Majesty the Royal Grandmother’s 87th birth anniversary, a book titled “The Heart of a Sacred Kingdom, Her Majesty the Royal Grandmother Ashi Kesang Choden Wangchuck: A Lifetime of Service to the People and Kingdom of Bhutan” was launched on Sunday 21 May 2017.