The former royal family of Nepal is to celebrate the wedding of a young man who was adopted almost 20 years ago by the royal palace, a Nepali language tabloid Ghatana Ra Bichar ("Event and Opinion" in English) said Wednesday.

When former king Gyanendra's elder brother king Birendra and his queen Aishwarya went on a visit to Dhankuta, a district in eastern Nepal some 215 km east of Kathmandu, they were approached by a young boy, Dhan Bahadur Khatri, whose parents were dead. The boy told the royal couple that he wanted to go to school.

The king and queen became the foster parents of Khatri, who grew up in the Narayanhity royal palace in Kathmandu along with the three royal children.

Khatra was especially close to Prince Nirajan, the youngest of the three royal children, the tabloid said.

In 2001, Birendra, his queen and eight other members of the royal family died in a shootout in the palace that was blamed on his eldest son, the then crown prince Dipendra.

After the massacre, Gyanendra became the new king of Nepal. The new king also regarded Khatri with affection, giving him a job in the palace, the weekly said.

Though Nepal formally abolished monarchy in May 2008, the former king is still continuing his role as a mentor to Khatri.

The former royal family has taken the initiative to plan Khatri's wedding this week, the tabloid said. The newly-weds will be gifted a new apartment where they can start their married life.

Source: Xinhua