Exactly ten years ago today, the Great Fourth Druk Gyalpo Jigme Singye Wangchuck handed over the destiny of Bhutan to His Majesty Druk Gyalpo Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck and Drukyul continued its journey of unprecedented peace, harmony and prosperity.

His Majesty The King’s first ten years of reign will be remembered as a decade of change and tendrels for Drukyul. The Bhutanese who reluctantly embraced democracy at the behest of our Beloved Monarchs are slowly, over the years, realising the profundity, genius and deliberateness to empower the Bhutanese, who are recognised by the Golden Throne, as the true custodians and ultimate guardians of the security, sovereignty and continued well-being of our country.

The decade will also go down in history as the era for the emergence of people’s power and women leadership.

The sweat and hard work, love and care, the generosity and service of our People’s King made Drukyul a land full of hopes and aspirations. His Majesty The King’s trust and confidence in our people of their potential and capabilities have motivated them to work hard and service the country with total dedication. We, the Bhutanese are fortunate to be blessed with successive Monarchs that serve us rather than rule us.

Indeed, the country is living the prophecy made in 2006 by the Great Fourth Druk Gyalpo: “I am confident that a very bright and great future lies ahead for Bhutan with the leadership of a new King and a democratic system of government that is best suited for our country, as enshrined under the Constitution. I have every confidence that there will be unprecedented progress and prosperity for our nation in the reign of our Fifth King.”

It was also an auspicious decade of triple Tendrels: the Coronation of His Majesty The King, the Royal Wedding, and the Birth of The Gyalsey Jigme Namgyel Wangchuck coinciding with the Birth year of Guru Rinpoche and the 400th year anniversary of Zhabdrung Rinpoche’s arrival.

As we march into the 2nd decade of the Golden Reign, may every Bhutanese be reminded of His Majesty The King’s profound words of wisdom and be inspired to service the Tsawa Sum with utmost dedication:

“If, every single day, every Bhutanese respects our culture and traditions, our environment, if we uphold the law, if we safeguard everything that is important to Bhutan and to our future generations, if we do our jobs to the best of our abilities, then we will always continue to build a strong nation according to our aspirations, unique to our own way of life.”

We pray for His Majesty The King’s good health and long life, and may the Drukyul continue to enjoy peace, harmony, security and sovereignty for eternity under the auspices of the Wangchuck Dynasty.