Born on December 28, 1945 at Narayanhiti Royal Palace, King Birendra Bir Bikram Shah Dev ruled Nepal since 31 January, 1972 to 1 June, 2001 when he was victimized in the Royal Nepalese Massacre said to be carried by his eldest son the then Crown PrinceDipendra Bir Bikram Shah Dev. King Birendra is the most internationally known Nepalese king in the history of modern Nepal.

He was also the first Nepalese monarch to receive a formal education and had spent eight years studying at St Joseph’s College in Darjeeling, India. His father ascended the throne on 13 March 1955, after the death of his grandfather King Tribhuvan and it was then, that he was declared the Crown Prince of Nepal. King Birendra enrolled at Eton College in the United Kingdom in 1959 and he returned to Nepal after studying here until 1964.