Nepal's ex-king given new palace
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http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/rss/-/1/hi/world/south_asia/7436035.stm Version 0 of 1. Nepal's government has decided to allow former king Gyanendra to move to a palace just outside Kathmandu. The move comes a week after the monarchy was abolished. The king says he will leave his city centre palace, Narayanhiti, by 15 June. The move to the palace in Nagarjun forest is temporary, a minister said. State auditors have moved into the main palace to take an inventory of the treasures housed there, which are said to include a diamond-studded crown. Police guard The palace at Nagarjun will barely be a comedown for the former king. Away from the traffic noise of the main royal palace, it is situated in one of the huge forests which line the Kathmandu valley. Gyanendra and ex-Queen Komal have often used it as a retreat. Nagarjun lies on nationalised land but Nepal's health minister told the BBC the cabinet had decided the former king could live there for the time being, although they had not decided how long he could stay. The former main royal palace will become a museum The minister said the ex-king's security would be provided by the paramilitary armed police force and not by the army. The army is seen as a pro-royal bastion and currently has a strong presence in Nagarjun forest which is open to the public but was until recently a royal hunting ground. A committee set up by the government has begun auditing the property inside the city centre palace, Narayanhiti. Books about the royalty show that the contents include a crown, apparently studded with emeralds and diamonds. The move to provide at least temporary housing for the former king came two days after the home minister praised him for calmly accepting the end of the 240-year-old monarchy. The move to this comfortable home seems to be a reward for that. In the longer term, Gyanendra and his wife may still have to find a new place to live. The former royal family owns several properties outright but they are all outside Kathmandu. |