Gyanendra adjusts to life as commoner

NEPAL: Nepal's former king Gyanendra woke up Thursday as a commoner after leaving his sprawling palace home and army of servants, in line with the abolition of the country's 240-year-old dynasty.

He will have to adjust to living in a former hunting lodge on the outskirts of the capital after leaving the Narayanhiti palace late Wednesday in the back of a black Mercedes with his wife, Komal Shah.

Two weeks ago, the impoverished Himalayan nation's new constituent assembly, dominated by former Maoist rebels, voted to abolish the monarchy, making Nepal the world's newest republic.

Early Thursday, police replaced the soldiers who had guarded the palace set in acres of manicured lawns - which is now set to become a national museum, featuring the former king's diamond, ruby and emerald crown and sceptre.

Gyanendra, who once was revered as a reincarnation of a Hindu deity and ruled the country's armed forces, said late Wednesday in his first comments since the vote that he would abide by the assembly's decision. "I have assisted in and respected the verdict of the people," he said in a short address in a hall decorated with stuffed tigers and a rhino head.

Kathmandu, Thursday, AFP