Queen Ratna of Nepal

{{Infobox royalty

|name=Ratna

|consort=yes

|image=Queen Ratna of Nepal 1967.jpg

|caption=Queen Ratna in 1967

|coronation = 2 May 1956

|succession=Queen consort of Nepal

|reign=13 March 1955 – 31 January 1972

|birth_date={{birth date and age|1928|8|19|df=y}}

|birth_place = Hari Bhawan, Bagmati, Kathmandu, Nepal

|death_date =

|death_place =

|burial_place =

|spouse= {{marriage|Mahendra of Nepal|1952|1972|end=died}}

|full name = Ratna Rajya Lakshmi Devi Shah

|house = Rana dynasty (by birth)
Shah dynasty (by marriage)

|father = Hari Shamsher Jang Bahadur Rana

|mother = Megha Kumari Rajya Lakshmi

|religion = Hinduism

}}

Ratna Rajya Lakshmi Devi Shah (born 19 August 1928) is a member of the Nepalese royal family who was Queen of Nepal from 1955 to 1972 and Queen dowager from 1972 to 2008 when the royal family were stripped of all titles and privileges. She is the second wife of King Mahendra (1920–1972). Ratna belongs to the aristocratic Rana family and is the daughter of Field Marshal Hari Shamsher Jang Bahadur Rana and his wife, Megha Kumari Rajya Lakshmi.

Life

File:King Mahendra Bir Bikram Shah and Queen Ratna Rajya Lakshmi Devi, shortly after the King’s coronation, 1955.jpg

File:Queen Ratna and prince Bernhard 1967.jpg.|155x155px]]Ratna's older sister Crown Princess Indra had married Crown Prince Mahendra in 1940 but died in 1950. Two years later, Ratna married Mahendra.{{Cite web |title=जेठ ३० गते राजा महेन्द्रको जन्मजयन्ती, हेराैं राजा महेन्द्रका १० दुर्लभ तस्विर |url=https://oldphotosofnepal.com/post/98 |access-date=2022-07-24 |website=oldphotosofnepal.com |language=ne}}{{Cite book |last=श्रेष्ठ |first=विष्णु प्रसाद |title=नेपालको शाह तथा राणा वंशावली |publisher=Mrs. Dev Badan Shrestha |location=kathmandu |language=nepali}} Mahendra already had three sons and three daughters with Indra. Ratna became Queen consort after Mahendra's father King Tribhuvan died in 1955. King Mahendra and Queen Ratna did not have any children, as she was sterilized by King Mahendra before their marriage.{{cite web |title=श्री ५ रत्नको आमा बन्ने अधिकार हनन् भएको थियो |url=https://www.dcnepal.com/2020/08/181191/ |website=Dcnepal}} In 1972, King Mahendra suffered a fatal heart attack while hunting in Chitwan National Park. His oldest son, Crown Prince Birendra took over.{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=VUvM1foqy4UC&q=queen+Ratna&pg=PA50|title=Illusions of Enlightenment: A Story about a Peace Corps Volunteer in Nepal and His Discovery of the Buddhist Teachings|last=Swift|first=Dusty|date=2011-05-10|publisher=iUniverse|isbn=9781450290654|language=en}}

On the evening of June 1, 2001, when the Nepalese royal massacre took place, Ratna was sitting with her sister-in-law Princess Helen Shah in the anteroom, and thus survived. The two women heard the gunshots but did not take them seriously. A few minutes later, Prince Paras came and told them that the Crown Prince Dipendra had shot everybody, including the King.[http://himalaya.socanth.cam.ac.uk/collections/journals/nepalitimes/pdf/Nepali_Times_048.pdf Himalaya] Dipendra was declared King while still in coma, Ratna was said to have refused to see his unconscious body.[https://indianexpress.com/article/opinion/web-edits/in-nepal-the-lights-go-out-in-former-queens-home-but-ratna-still-commands-power-among-people-2992097/ "In Nepal, the lights go out in former Queen’s home but Ratna still commands power among people"]

The Nepalese monarchy was abolished in 2008 after the Constituent Assembly election.{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/7163034.stm |title=South Asia | Vote to abolish Nepal's monarchy |publisher=BBC News |date=28 December 2007 |access-date=14 January 2013}} All members of the royal family had to evacuate the Narayanhiti Palace, with the exception of Queen Ratna. King Gyanendra made arrangements for his ailing step-mother and aunt to stay in Mahendra Manzil, a palace within the complex of Narayanhity Palace Museum. The Maoist government, however, confiscated numerous palaces that her husband Mahendra had built on his personal property as gifts to her.

On 24 August 2016, the Nepal Electricity Authority cut off the power supply to the former Queen’s residence, Mahendra Manzil, citing an outstanding electricity bill of Rs. 3.7 million accumulated over the preceding eight years (after the departure of other members of the royal family). According to news reports, Ratna asked her step-son and nephew, former king Gyanendra, not to take up the issue with the government as it would reduce their family dignity, which is what the Maoist government probably wanted. Instead, Ratna asked her step-son to come to her palace with fuel for the diesel generators used as back-up. This whole proceeding resulted in a huge public outcry. Protesters gathered at Ratna Park, a public park Mahendra had built in her honor, and burned an effigy of the new Energy Minister Janardan Sharma of the Maoist Party. Sharma was alleged by the media to have acted in vendetta as he had ignored bills of a hospital associated to him that owed more than Rs.10 million. Due to public backlash, the government was forced to restore the power to the Mahendra Manzil Palace after 20 hours.

On 5 March 2019, Ratna was hospitalized in the Norvic Hospital due to a week-long persistent cough and flu. An elite team of five doctors attended to her, and she was visited by her son Gyanendra and daughter in-law Queen Komal with homemade food.{{cite web |url=https://www.msn.com/en-xl/asia/top-stories/former-queen-mother-ratna-hospitalized/ar-BBUtmim |title=Former queen mother Ratna hospitalized |website=www.msn.com |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190727142956/https://www.msn.com/en-xl/asia/top-stories/former-queen-mother-ratna-hospitalized/ar-BBUtmim |archive-date=2019-07-27}} On 1 September 2022 she underwent cataract surgery at Sudrishti Eye Clinic at Durbarmarg.[https://www.myrepublica.nagariknetwork.com/amp/former-queen-mother-undergoes-cataract-surgery/ My Republic]

Admiral

Many structures, institutions, locations and honors have been built and introduced in the respect of Queen Ratna. Monuments erected in her name were renamed after the restoration of the parliament in 2063 BS and the end of the monarchy in 2065 BS. Even though the Ratna Park named after the queen was renamed as Shankhadhar Sakhwa Park, Ratna Park is still popular among the people.{{Cite web |title=रत्नपार्क कि शंखधर उद्यान ? |url=https://www.onlinekhabar.com/2020/11/911250 |access-date=2022-07-13 |website=Online Khabar |language=en-US}}

Ratna Park
Ratna Highway
Queen of Nepal: a Russian folk song
Tsaritsa Nepala (Queen of Nepal): a Russian song about Nepal and the queen
Ratna Statue in Ratna Park
Ratna Rajya Laxmi Campus{{Cite web |title=About us – Ratna Rajya Laxmi Campus |url=https://www.ratnarajyalaxmicampus.edu.np/about-us/ |access-date=2022-09-15 |language=en-US}}

Honours

= National honours =

70px Nepal Decoration of Honour (25 December 1966).
70px Order of the Benevolent Ruler, 1st class (1964).[http://www.omsa.org/files/jomsa_arch/Splits/1988/153251_JOMSA_Vol39_12_19.pdf Omsa.org]
70px Tribhuvan Order of the Footprint of Democracy, 1st class (2 May 1956).
70px Order of the Footprint of Nepal, 1st class (16 December 1962).
70px Order of the Rama Mantra Power, 1st class.{{Citation needed|date=December 2021}}
Ati Suvikhyata Sewalankar [Renowned Service Medal].
70px Order of the Benevolent Ruler, 1960{{CN|date=June 2023}}
70px King Mahendra Investiture Medal (2 May 1956).
70px King Birendra Investiture Medal (24 February 1975).
70px Commemorative Silver Jubilee Medal of King Birendra (31 January 1997).
70px King Gyanendra Investiture Medal (4 June 2001).

= Foreign honours =

Japan:
70px Paulwonia Dame Grand Cordon of the Order of the Precious Crown
Germany:
70px Grand Cross Special Issue of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany
Netherlands:
70px Dame Grand Cross of the Order of the Netherlands Lion (25 April 1967).{{Citation needed|date=December 2021}}
Laos:
70px Dame Grand Cross of the Order of the Million Elephants and the White Parasol (1970).
Pakistan:
70px Nishan-e-Imtiaz (1970).
Philippines:
70px Golden Heart Medal 1st Class (1971).{{citation needed|date=August 2020}}
Pahlavi dynasty:
70px Commemorative Medal of the 2500th Anniversary of the founding of the Persian Empire (14 October 1971).[http://badraie.com/guests.htm Iran. Host to the World] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160305043732/http://badraie.com/guests.htm |date=5 March 2016 }}. Badraie. Retrieved 27 April 2015.