Who Is Jetsun Pema? The 'Dragon Queen' Of Bhutan

Jetsun Pema, known as the Druk Gyaltsuen by Bhutanese people meaning the 'Dragon Queen' is the queen of Bhutan and wife of King Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck. As the 'Dragon Queen,' Jetsun Pema has embraced her role with grace and dedication, championing causes related to education, youth empowerment, environmental conservation, and mental health awareness, while she also actively works for women's rights. 

Queen Pemam who met King Wangchuck at the age of seven but married at the age of 21 when the King was 31 actively supported the King in his duties, becoming the youngest consort queen of the current times. It is the Queen's elegance, intelligence, and dedication to her country that have garnered her respect and admiration not just in Bhutan but around the world.

Who Is Jetsun Pema? The 'Dragon Queen' Of Bhutan

Born in 1990 in Thimphu, Bhutan, Jetsun Pema hails from a blue-blood lineage herself with her father Dhondup Gyaltshen being the grandson of two Trashigang governors and also served as an airline pilot for the country, while her mother, Aum Sonam Chuki hails from an aristocrat family of one of the oldest nobles of Bhutan, serving her life in philanthropy. 

The maternal grandfather of the queen Pema was half-brother to two consort queens. Pema currently stands as the youngest queen consort at the age of 33. She is the second eldest of her five siblings with her sister older than her and also married to one of the King's brothers Prince Gyaltshab Jigme Dorji Wangchuck. 

Jetsun Pema's path intertwined with royalty when she met King Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck, then Crown Prince of Bhutan, in 2000 during a family picnic when the Queen was just seven. However, the Queen continued pursuing her education in a private school in Bhutan and later moved to India for her upper secondary education at St Joseph’s Convent in West Bengal and The Lawrence School in Sanawar. 

The royal then went to London's Regent University to graduate in international relations with minors in psychology and art history. While the Queen is also trilingual speaking the native Dzongkha along with Hindi and English. 

In a fairytale wedding ceremony on October 13, 2011, Jetsun Pema married King Wangchuck when she was 21 and the King was 31. The wedding was held with traditional Buddhist nuptials while the official coronation of Pema as the Queen was also held in the ceremony. 

Her wedding attire, a traditional Bhutanese silk kira, adorned with intricate patterns and symbols, symbolized a harmonious blend of tradition and modernity. The Royal couple is blessed with three children: Jigme Namgyel (7) the heir apparent, Jigme Ugyen (3), and a daughter Sonam Yangden born in September 2023.

The Queen is the president of the Red Cross Society in Bhutan and serves as an Ozone ambassador in the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and as a royal patron in the Royal Society for Protection of Nature (RSPN) along with involving herself in many other humanitarian activities. 

Jetsun Pema's elegance, intelligence, and dedication to her country have garnered her respect and admiration not just in Bhutan but around the world. Nicknamed the "Kate Middleton of the Himalayas," she's known for her grace and her commitment to social causes.