Prince Dasho Jigyel Ugyen Wangchuck (born 16 July 1984) is the heir presumptive

Heir Presumptive

An heir presumptive or heiress presumptive is the person provisionally scheduled to inherit a throne, peerage, or other hereditary honour, but whose position can be displaced by the birth of an heir or heiress apparent or of a new heir presumptive with a better claim to the position in question...

 to the throne of Bhutan

Bhutan

Bhutan , officially the Kingdom of Bhutan, is a landlocked state in South Asia, located at the eastern end of the Himalayas and bordered to the south, east and west by the Republic of India and to the north by the People's Republic of China...

, following the abdication of his father on 14 December 2006 and the accession of his brother King Jigme Khesar Namgyal Wangchuck

Jigme Khesar Namgyal Wangchuck

Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck is the 5th and current reigning Dragon King of the Kingdom of Bhutan. He became king on 14 December 2006 being crowned on 6 November 2008.-Family:...

.

Prince Jigyel Ugyen is the second son of King Jigme Singye Wangchuck

Jigme Singye Wangchuck

Jigme Singye Wangchuck is the former King of Bhutan. He was the fourth Dragon King of Bhutan from 1972 until his abdication in favour of his eldest son, Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck, in 2006...

 from Queen Ashi Dorji Wangmo Wangchuck

Dorji Wangmo Wangchuck

Ashi Dorji Wangmo Wangchuck is a former queen of Bhutan and first wife of former King Jigme Singye Wangchuck, who is married to four sisters all of whom were entitled to be called queen.Ashi Dorji Wangmo Wangchuck is the first wife of...

. He has an older sister, Princess Sonam Dechan

Sonam Dechen Wangchuck

Princess Ashi Sonam Dechan Wangchuck is a princess of Bhutan. She is the daughter of the 4th King of Bhutan Jigme Singye Wangchuck and sister of the 5th King, Jigme Khesar Namgyal Wangchuck. She has a degree in international relations from Stanford University and a masters in law from Harvard Law...

, as well as four half-brothers and four half-sisters.

Education

He was educated at Yangchenphug Higher Secondary School, then Choate Rosemary Hall

Choate Rosemary Hall

Choate Rosemary Hall is a private, college-preparatory, coeducational boarding school located in Wallingford, Connecticut...

 in Wallingford, Connecticut

Wallingford, Connecticut

Wallingford is a town in New Haven County, Connecticut, United States. The population was 43,026 at the 2000 census.- History :Wallingford was established on October 10, 1667, when the Connecticut General Assembly authorized the "making of a village on the east river" to 38 planters and freemen...

, USA, graduating in 2003. He started a course in history and politics at St Peter's College, Oxford

St Peter's College, Oxford

St Peter's College is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom, located in New Inn Hall Street. It occupies the site of two of the University's oldest Inns, or medieval hostels - Bishop Trellick's, later New Inn Hall, and Rose Hall - both of which were...

, in the United Kingdom on 2003, graduating in 2007.

Royal Duties

Sharing responsibilities with his siblings, Prince Jigyel Ugyen travels extensively to represent the King in various functions in Bhutan as well as abroad. In 2008 he travelled to the Smithsonian Folklife Festival

Smithsonian Folklife Festival

The Smithsonian Folklife Festival, launched in 1967, is an international exhibition of living cultural heritage presented annually in the summer in Washington, D.C. in the United States. It is held for two weeks around the Fourth of July holiday...

 where he delivered an opening address before roaming the festival area, and interacting with visitors. At the end of the festival, he travelled with several performers to attend the Bhutan Festival at the University of Texas at El Paso

University of Texas at El Paso

The University of Texas at El Paso is a four-year state university, and is a component institution of the University of Texas System. Its campus is located on the bank of the Rio Grande in El Paso, Texas. The school was founded in 1914 as The Texas State School of Mines and Metallurgy,...

.

As the King's representative to the Bhutan Olympic Committee, he visited Copenhagen

Copenhagen

Copenhagen is the capital and largest city of Denmark, with an urban population of 1,199,224 and a metropolitan population of 1,930,260 . With the completion of the transnational Øresund Bridge in 2000, Copenhagen has become the centre of the increasingly integrating Øresund Region...

 in order to attend the XIII Olympic Congress in 2009.

Personal Interest

He and his brothers share interests in various sporting activities, such as archery

Archery

Archery is the art, practice, or skill of propelling arrows with the use of a bow, from Latin arcus. Archery has historically been used for hunting and combat; in modern times, however, its main use is that of a recreational activity...

, basketball, and cycling.

Humanitarian Cause

The prince with his sister, Princess Sonam Dechan, serve in Tarayana Foundation executive board. Founded by their mother, Queen Ashi Dorji Wangmo, the foundation focuses on various efforts to reduce poverty in Bhutan.

External links

• BBC News: Prince swaps classroom for war

|-