Nepal's deposed king leaves palace

Updated June 12, 2008 22:46:20

Former Nepalese monarchs King Gyanendra (L) and Queen Komal leave Naryanhiti Palace in Kathmandu. [AFP]

Nepal's former king, Gyanendra, has left his main palace in Kathmandu to live as a commoner initially in a former hunting lodge on the outskirts of the capital.

The ruling Maoists abolished the the world's only Hindu monarchy last month, replacing it with a republic.

The ousted king handed-in his royal sceptre and crown of peacock feathers, yak hair and jewels to the Nepali government on Tuesday night, after initially refusing to hand over the treasures and reportedly telling officials he believed they were his personal property and he wanted to keep them.

Our reporter in Kathmandu for Radio Australia's Connect Asia program, Liam Cochrane, was at the palace, and says before leaving the former king made a parting address to the nation - touching on some controversial issues.

Mr Gyanendra said he would stay in Nepal and contribute to the independence and prosperity of the country, dismissing rumours he would live in exile, saying all his property and money is within Nepal.

He may have become a commoner, but he remains a wealthy man - with unofficial sources estimating his fortune at more than $A200 million.

Revisiting the royal massacre

Controversially, he discussed the conspiracy theories popular amongst most Nepalese that he was behind the royal massacre in 2001 which killed most of the royal family and propelled him to the throne.

He described the rumours as "inhumane" and repeatedly denied any involvement.

One of the main reasons for Mr Gyanendra's poor standing amongst the public comes back to the mysterious royal massacre.

The bloodshed was officially blamed on Crown Prince Dipendra, who was said to be heavily armed, intoxicated and angry at his family for not allowing him to marry the girl he wanted.

The editor of The Kathmandu Post, Narayan Wagle, told our reporter it was a frequent topic in the departing king's speech.

"He mentioned the royal massacre a number of times... that was his point," he said.

In 2005, four years after the massacre, the then-King Gyanendra sacked the government, saying they had failed to stop a growing Maoist insurgency.

He took direct control of the country and briefly jailed critics before mass protests in April 2006 forced him to step down.

Since then the king has kept a low profile, making few public appearances or statements.

But following his address on Wednesday night, a crowd gathered outside the palace gates to cheer and to chant "come out, come out".

Several hours later, the king did come out, driven in a car through the palace gates along with his wife and a scaled-down security detail.

He will stay temporarily at his summer retreat, another royal property on the outskirts of Kathmandu, but it is unclear where he and his family will settle.

Meanwhile, the government says the sprawling pink palace, with its stuffed tigers and bloody history, will become a museum.