Kathmandu June 4 – King Gyanendra was born in July 1947 and is the middle brother of King Birendra who died in a shoot-out Friday. He is married to Princess Komal who is recovering  from the shootout. They have a son and daughter.

The King completed his Senior Cambridge from St. Joseph’s College, Darjeeling, India, and graduated from Tribhuvan University with a B.A. degree. A former hunter, the King is now a keen  conservationist who heads the King Mahendra Trust for Nature Conservation and is member of the World Wildlife Fund for Nature Conservation. The Trust’s flagship work is the much-acclaimed Annapurna Area Conservation Project which has been credited with a sustainable eco-tourism programme.

At the age of four, Gyanendra had been crowned king by the Ranas and was the figurehead monarch until King Tribhuvan returned from India a few months later. On Monday, King Gyanendra was crowned king for the second time. He was crowned amidst a slight drizzle, and he later rode a horse-drawn carriage to Narayanhiti Royal Palace past cheering crowds as cannons boomed in the air.

The road had been cleared of protesters chanting slogans against the succession.