Komal | |||||
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![]() Queen Komal ca. 1985 in Nepal | |||||
Queen consort of Nepal | |||||
Tenure | 4 June 2001 – 28 May 2008 | ||||
Coronation | 4 June 2001 | ||||
Born | Komal Rana 18 February 1951 Bagmati, Kathmandu, Nepal | ||||
Spouse | Gyanendra of Nepal | ||||
Issue | Paras, Crown Prince of Nepal Princess Prerana | ||||
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House | Rana (by birth) Shah (by marriage) | ||||
Father | Kendra Shumsher Jang Bahadur Rana | ||||
Mother | Shree Rajya Lakshmi Devi Shah | ||||
Religion | Hinduism |
Nepalese royal family |
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Descendants of King Mahendra:
Descendants of King Tribhuvan: Princess Trilokya |
Komal (Nepali: कोमल राज्य लक्ष्मी देवी शाह) (born 18 February 1951) is a member of the Nepalese royal family who was the last Queen of Nepal as the wife of King Gyanendra of Nepal until the monarchy was abolished on 28 May 2008. She is also known by the name Komal Shah.
Komal was born in Bagmati, Kathmandu into the Rana family, the daughter of Kendra Shumsher Jang Bahadur Rana (1927–1982) and his wife Rajya Lakshmi Devi Shah (1928–2005).[citation needed] Komal's older sister Aishwarya was married to King Birendra of Nepal, the brother of Gyanendra. Aishwarya was killed in the palace massacre on 1 June 2001. Komal sustained bullet injuries as a result of the palace shooting and spent four weeks recovering in hospital.[1]
She was educated at St Mary's School, Jawalakhel, St Helen's Convent, Kurseong, India and Kalanidhi Sangeet Mahavidhyalaya, Kathmandu.
As a result of the 2001 massacre, Komal's husband Gyanendra succeeded to the throne following the deaths of King Birendra, Crown Prince Dipendra (who had briefly succeeded him), and Prince Nirajan. Komal thus became Queen of Nepal.[citation needed]
Komal's younger sister Prekshya also married into the Shah dynasty marrying Gyanendra and Birendra's brother Prince Dhirendra who was also killed in the palace massacre. They had divorced in 1991.[citation needed] Prekshya was killed in a helicopter crash on 12 November 2001.
Queen Komal married her second cousin Prince Gyanendra of Nepal on 1 May 1970 in Kathmandu. They have two children:
The Nepalese Parliament voted on 28 December 2007 as part of a peace deal with former Maoist rebels, 270-3 in favour of abolishing the monarchy.[2]
On 28 May 2008, the monarchy was officially abolished, replaced by a secular federal republic.[3]