THIMPHU - Bhutan's rare form of polygamy, in which men or women take several sisters or brothers as partners, is dying out as the kingdom modernises, with this week's royal wedding another sign of its demise.
The king, 31-year-old Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck, married and crowned Jetsun Pema, the commoner daughter of an airline pilot, on Thursday in a colourful Buddhist ceremony in the ancient capital of Punakha.
In his speech announcing the nuptials in May, Wangchuck made clear that Pema would be his only wife - a distinct departure from his father, who married four sisters in 1979, all of whom were crowned queen in the same ceremony.
Bhutan's royal wedding points to end of polygamy
