Dhirendra of Nepal

Who was Dhirendra of Nepal?

Dhirendra Bir Bikram Shah Deva of Nepal was the youngest son of King Mahendra of Nepal, and his first wife, Crown Princess Indra.

He studied with their brothers King Birendra and King Gyanendra in St. Joseph's College, Darjeeling, India; in 1969, he graduated from Tribhuvan University, Kathmandu.

On May 13, 1973, he married a cousin, Princess Prekshya. From this marriage, he had three daughters:

Princess Puja Rajya Laxmi Devi.

Princess Sitashma Rajya Laxmi Devi.

Princess Dilasha Rajya Laxmi Devi.

In the 1980s, he divorced his wife and had a relationship with a British woman, Shirley Greaney. When Queen Aishwarya came to know of this affair from her sister, she had Dhirendra stripped of his titles and exiled from Nepal.

With Shirley Shah, whom he married in 1991, Dhirendra had one daughter:

Ushaanaa Laela Shah.

Dhirendra was killed in the palace massacre at Narayanhity Royal Palace, during one of his rare visits to the country. He was due to regain his title and place in the line of succession. In fact the real mastermind of that massacre is not identified till now.