Paras

Kathmandu, June 30: Nepal’s former crown prince Paras, who was rendered a commoner last month after the kingdom became a republic, is moving his wife and children to Singapore shortly.

Sources close to Paras said the former heir to the throne who earned notoriety for his drunken excesses in the past had decided to educate his children in Singapore. “The situation in Nepal is not conducive for the royals right now,” one of the sources said.

Two months ago, as the campaign to end monarchy was picking up momentum, Paras had stopped sending two of his children, Purnika and Hridayendra, to a school run by an Indian. “Security is a big issue. With the Maoists running amok all over Nepal, Paras is paranoid about the safety of his family,” the source said.

The sources, who did not want to be named, said Paras would leave for Singapore in a day or two to choose a school for his children and locate a service apartment.

“Paras will be in Singapore for a couple of weeks to complete the admission formalities and rent an apartment. He will also hire a nanny for the kids,” the source said, adding that Paras’s wife Himani will leave for Singapore once her husband ties up everything.

Hridayendra and Purnika with their mother Himani. File picture

The sources said that Paras had shortlisted six schools, including an American and British school each. “Since the children are too young to be put in a boarding school, their mother will be staying with them in Singapore,” the source said.

The sources dismissed reports that the former crown prince would relocate to Singapore permanently. “Paras will return to Kathmandu once his family is settled there,” another source said, said adding that he would reside in his home, Nirmal Niwas.

Paras’s parents, Gyanendra and Komal, continue to stay in the Nagarjuna Palace which was allotted to them.

This will be the first foreign trip of Paras in three and half years. The last time he went abroad was in 2005 when Gyanendra, who was then the absolute monarch, sent him as special envoy to Europe to hand over a pair of rhinos to a zoo in Vienna.