After having kept a low profile since last month, when Maoist guerrillas forced the parliament to declare the Himalayan kingdom of Nepal a federal republic, Nepal’s royal family hit the headlines again as beleaguered King Gyanendra attended a Bollywood wedding in Kathmandu.

Accompanied by Queen Komal, Gyanendra, who could be the last king of the once powerful Shah dynasty, Monday went to the upmarket Soaltee Crowne Plaza hotel, the favourite venue for Nepal’s elite for throwing wedding parties and receptions, to attend the wedding of Bollywood actress Manisha Koirala’s brother Siddharth.

The groom, in his 30s, donned the traditional Nepali attire of daura-suruwal – the traditional long shirt and tight pyjamas – complete with a Nepali cap and the traditional Nepali garland of grass.

Siddharth, a virtual stranger in Nepal, has not played any significant role in the nation’s politics, despite being the grandson of B P Koirala, Nepal’s first elected prime minister and grandnephew of current premier Girija Prasad Koirala.

His elder sister Manisha, however, faced much criticism in the past for supporting King Gyanendra’s grabbing of power with the help of the army.

Manisha’s father Prakash Koirala, who was appointed minister by King Gyanendra, was later expelled from his father’s Nepali Congress party, which was opposing the royal regime.

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