"Maintain the Gross National Happiness", vows 28-year old Oxford graduate newly crowned the fifth King of Bhutan

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The United States was not the only country to name a new leader last week. In Bhutan, an insular nation of about 600,000 people located high in the Himalayas, a new king was crowned. 28-year-old Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck, an Oxford-educated bachelor, was crowned as Bhutan's fifth king - now the world's youngest reigning monarch. Bhutan also has the distinction of being the world's youngest democracy - having held parliamentary elections last March for the first time ever. The young ruler vows to maintain a stance of protection against the worst aspects of globalization, maintaining the "Gross National Happiness", a measurement of national progress that places a high value on spiritual development. Gross National Happiness is a term invented by, and proudly embraced by Bhutanese since 1972.

Above: Bhutan's fourth King Jigme Singye Wangchuck (right) crowns his son Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck as the fifth King of Bhutan, in the Throne room of the Tashichhodzong Palace during the coronation ceremony in Thimphu, Bhutan on November 6, 2008. With medieval tradition and Buddhist spirituality, a 28-year-old with an Oxford education assumed the Raven Crown of Bhutan on Thursday, to guide the world's newest democracy as it emerges into the modern world.

His Majesty Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck smiles during his coronation held at the ceremonial grounds of The Tendrey Thang on November 6, 2008 in Thimphu, Bhutan. The young Bhutanese king, aged 28, becomes the world's youngest reigning monarch. He was handed the Raven Crown by his father, the former King Jigme Singye Wangchuck, in an ornate ceremony.

A man decorates the coronation ceremony venue of Bhutan's fifth King Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck in Thimphu, Bhutan on November 6, 2008.

Ceremonial dancers line up for the crowning ceremony of his Majesty Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck, 28, at the Dratshang Kuenra Tashichho Dzong on November 6, 2008 in Thimphu, Bhutan.

The Taktshang Monastery in Bhutan, also called the Tiger's Nest, is one of Bhutan's most important temples.

A royal procession for his Majesty Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck, 28, parades to the Dratshang Kuenra Tashichho Dzong on November 6, 2008 in Thimphu, Bhutan.

A Bhutanese woman in traditional attire smiles as she sits amongst the audience during ceremonies coinciding with the coronation of the 5th King Jigme Khesar Namgyal Wangchuk at the Tendrel Thang ceremonial ground adjoining the Tashichho Dzong in Thimpu, Bhutan, Thursday, Nov. 6, 2008. The tiny Himalayan nation of Bhutan crowned it's 5th king Thursday after a two-year wait for the precise moment deemed most auspicious for a successful reign by court astrologers.

Bhutan's King Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck receives greetings from people in the throne room during his coronation ceremony inside Tashichhodzong Palace in Thimphu November 6, 2008.

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Photos courtesy of Reuters/Royal Government of Bhutan/Handout, Paula Bronstein/Getty Images, Reuters/Desmond Boylan, Craig Simons/Cox Newspapers, and AP Photo/Gurinder Osan

Original Source: Boston Globe