Thousands rally in support of Nepal’s former king

Thousands of supporters of Nepal’s former king gathered outside Kathmandu airport to greet him and demand the restoration of the abolished monarchy in the Himalayan country.

As hundreds of police officers tried to control fans crowding the main entrance of Tribhuvan International Airport on Friday, Gyanendra Shah waved to the cheering crowd from the sunroof of his car.

The crowd chanted, “Bring back the king. We love our king more than ourselves. Restore the constitutional monarchy.”

More supporters lined the road from the airport to the former king’s private residence.

The crowd was peaceful and no arrests were made.

The former king was returning from a trip to eastern Nepal.

Mass street protests in 2006 forced Gyanendra to abandon his authoritarian rule, and two years later parliament voted to abolish the monarchy as Gyanendra left the Royal Palace to live like an ordinary person.

An estimated 10,000 supporters attended a similar rally at the airport last year.

Another royalist rally in 2025 turned violent, leaving two people dead and scores injured.

Gyanendra has not commented on calls for the return of the monarchy. Despite growing support for the former king, Gyanendra’s chances of returning to power immediately are slim because support is not as significant as other political parties opposing the idea.

The show of support for the monarchy comes ahead of crucial parliamentary elections next month. Pro-Gyanendra groups, which won about five percent of the seats in the last election, are hoping to win seats.