Born: 4 June 1990, Bhutan
Died: NA
Country most active: Bhutan
Also known as: རྗེ་བཙུན་པདྨ་
The following bio was written by Emma Rosen, author of On This Day She Made History: 366 Days With Women Who Shaped the World and This Day In Human Ingenuity & Discovery: 366 Days of Scientific Milestones with Women in the Spotlight, and has been republished with permission.
In 2011, Jetsun Pema (རྗེ་བཙུན་པདྨ་) was crowned Druk Gyaltsuen – the Dragon Queen of Bhutan.
Jetsun Pema was born on June 4, 1990, and is currently the world’s youngest queen consort. She has three children: Prince Jigme Namgyel Wangchuck, the heir to the Bhutanese throne, along with their sons Jigme Ugyen Wangchuck and a daughter born in 2023.
Her father, Dhondup Gyaltshen, is the grandson of two Trashigang Dzongpons, Thinley Topgay and Ugyen Tshering. Her mother, Aum Sonam Choki, comes from the noble Bumthang Pangtey family. Her lineage also connects her to the 48th Druk Desi and 10th Penlop of Trongsa, Jigme Namgyal.
Jetsun Pema is the second of five siblings, with two brothers, Jigme Namgyel and Dasho Thinley Norbu, and two sisters, Serchen Doma and Ashi Yeatso Lhamo. Her early education began in Thimphu, followed by a convent education in Kalimpong, India. She completed her higher secondary education and pursued a degree in international relations with minors in psychology and art history at Regent’s University London.