A Kingdom in Chaos

As his servants take their leave with a series of silent bows, it becomes apparent that King Gyanendra spends much of his time in the company of ghosts. Outside his window in Kathmandu's cavernous royal palace, a pale sun is setting over the Himalayas, the day staff is leaving in a hushed file through the western gate and a flock of hundreds of ravens is settling noisily into the firs. As night falls, the birds in the royal gardens cease their cawing and a gloomy silence descends upon the dimly lit palace. "It is lonely," says Gyanendra, drawing deeply on a...