Throughout History there have been many Kings and Queens who were executed, or who were
forced off the throne in bloody uprisings or rebellions. For the Tudor King Henry VIII,
he was so fearful of assassination and death that he employed taste testers of food to
prevent poisoning and he also would fortify the entrance to his bedroom each evening.
But the Tudor Monarch would still face uprising in his country, and it was something most
monarchs of the time had to deal with. The most serious uprising on English soil was
the Peasants Revolt in the medieval period, but then the country would be plagued into
numerous civil wars such as the Wars of the Roses. But England’s King Charles I following
the English Civil War was also sentenced to death, and was executed on a cold January
morning in Whitehall, after Parliament ruled to kill the King. But this was during the
17th century, however in Nepal in 2001, there was a series of executions and killings which
rocked the country, as nine members of the royal family were killed in a mass shooting
after the royals gathered at the Narayanhiti Palace in Kathmandu. The series of executions
sent shockwaves around Asia, especially due to the fact the perpetrator was the Crown
Prince, and heir himself. Join us today as we look at the horrific executions of the
Nepalese Royal Family, and remember to support our channel please make sure to subscribe.
The King of Nepal was Birendra, a man who had ruled since the 31st January 1972. His
father had been the previous monarch, and his reign was one which saw him act as an
absolute monarch. He inherited a land where political parties were banned, and he ruled
through local councils known as Panchayats. He tried to maintain this, but in 1990 a number
of riots broke out in Nepal. He lifted a ban on ppolitical parties and then agreed to become
a constitutional monarch in April 1990. This increased his popularity, but eh could not
prevent civil war which lasted between Maoist rebels and government forces from 1996 until
2006. He kept Nepal’s independence despite enrocaching rhetoric from India China and
the Soviet Union, and he would visit different world leaders around the world. He established
diplomatic relations with dozens of countries, and he wanted Nepal which was sandwiched between
two huge Asian powers to be on good terms with both of them. He wanted Nepal to be a
zone of Peace, and this was supported. He had history in disarming rebellions, and appeasing
rebels effectively, and he was a great lover of nature. He was keen on conservation, and
protecting endangered animals that were native to Nepal. Because of this he established national
parks, and set up area that were protected from hunters. His government also built large
amounts of airports to connect the country better as it was considered that air travel
was cheaper than making roads through the hilly and rural areas and terrain. He was
criticised for a number of failings, however he was married to Queen Aishwarya. The couple
had married in 1970, and when Birendra became King, Aishwarya became his consort.
The couple had a son named Dipendra, who was born on the 27th June 1971 and he was the
Crown Prince of Nepal. He was sent to the UK to study at Eton, and he was interested
in sport and as the crown prince received military training also from the Academy of
Royal Nepalese Gurkha Army. He was a patron of the National Sports council and of the
Nepalese Scouts. He would have become the King one day, and he would do this very briefly,
however he would take the crown through a bloody and sinister act of murder which killed
his father, mother and many other family members. But on the 1st June 2001, authorities were
called to the Narayanhiti Palace, the home of the royal family. What they found was completely
shocking. It was reported that, ‘On 1 June 2001, Crown Prince Dipendra opened fire
at a house on the grounds of the Narayanhity Palace, the residence of the Nepalese monarchy,
where a party was being held. He shot and killed his father, King Birendra, his mother, Queen
Aishwarya, and seven other members of the royal family including his younger brother
and sister before shooting himself in the head. Due to his wiping out of most of the line
of succession, Dipendra became king while in a comatose state from the head wound.’
So whilst a party was being held, Dipendra opened fire at a house on the grounds of the
royal palace. He shot and killed his father the King and his mother the Queen, but then
he also slaughtered his younger brother and sister, and other members of the royal family.
After this, he then shot himself in the head. What was bizarre, is that as he had killed
most of the line of succession, and also the monarch his father, that whilst he was in
a coma due to his head wound, he was acting as the King for a number of days. Other victims
besides the King and Queen were Prince Nirajan, the perpetrators brother, Princess Shruti,
the perpetrator’s sister, Dhirendra the King’s brother, Princess Shanti, the King’s
sister, Sharanda the King’s sister and her husband Kurma Khadga, and Princess Jayanti,
Birenda’s first cousin. There were other members of the royal family that were injured
also, and different theories and ideas emerged about why he had shot his father, mother and
large parts of his family.
One belief by the next in line to the throne was that Dipendra accidentally discharged
an automatic weapon inside of the royal palace, and it was said that due to his status as
the crown prince and then the brief King, he could never have been charged with murder.
Investigations found Dipendra responsible for the killings, and this was not disputed.
Scotland Yard and the British police even offered the help the investigation but this
was turned down. There were other ideas, including whether they were executed by other secret
services from other lands. It was said that the bodies of some of the royal family members
were found in different parts of the palace, and not where Dipendra began to fire at people.
His motive for the murders isn’t known and isn’t the most clear, but there are ideas
also regarding this. One is that he wanted to marry a woman who he met in the UK, but
due to the fact her mother’s family were lower class royals in India, the Nepalese
royal family and his mother and father rejected this. Dipendra’s bride was then chosen by
the royal family and he was allegedly not happy with this. Some pointed the finger at
influences from India, and whether Dipendra was asked to do this, and today the killings
still are shrouded in controversy and debate. Questions are also always asked about the
lack of security around the event and the party, and also why Prince Gyanendra missed
it, Dipendra’s uncle who succeeded him. But Dipendra later died form his wounds 3
days later, and as mentioned his uncle did succeed him as he had killed the majority
of the line of succession. It was also believed that he was drunk at the time of the massacre,
and that he shot members of his family who were shielding others. His brother may have
been shielding his mother when he shot the both. What is also compelling is the different
weapons that Dipendra used, including a Colt Rifle, a 9mm submachine gun, a Spas-12 shotgun
and a block 9mm pistol. This points to the fact he may have had some element of premeditation
before he carried out the shootings.
But despite occurring within the last few decades, the Nepalese royal massacre was a
shocking account of regicide which could have been viewed as a strong power play. However
the perpetrator the Crown Prince would turn the weapon on himself. It is a strange event
in which much today is still not known, and the full details of what happened that day
inside the royal palace remain shrouded in secrecy despite it occurring over 20 years
ago. Ultimately the Nepalese royal massacre resulted in the killing of the King and Queen
and members of the royal family, and with this and the news the perpetrator was the
Crown Prince and heir, the whole world was shocked.
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