Zero Hour (2004–…): Season 3, Episode 2 - A Royal Massacre - full transcript

NARRATOR: The evening
of June the 1st, 2001.

The Nepalese royal
family gather for a party.

Three generations of royalty and their closest
friends are looking forward to a relaxed,

informal evening.

The host is Crown Prince Dipendra.

Among his guests are his parents,
the King and Queen of Nepal,

the Queen Mother and his cousins.

There is Dipendra's
younger sister, Princess Sruti,

and his younger brother, Prince Nirajan.

All together the exclusive
royal guests number 22.

But, within little more than
one hour from their arrival,



most of these people will
be lying dead or wounded

in the bloodiest slaying of
any royal family ever recorded.

(GUNSHOTS)

It was an act so horrific that it
plunged the country into mourning,

spawned a host of conspiracy theories

and eventually resulted
in the political turmoil

which shook Nepal in the spring of 2006.

At the heart of this shattering event

was the Crown Prince himself.

What was going through
his head on this fatal evening?

What influences were at work?

Why did it end in tragedy?

(GUNSHOTS)

The party being hosted by Prince Dipendra,



the Crown Prince of Nepal,
is part of a family tradition

in which they all try to
meet up twice a month.

It's three minutes to 8:00 and all of
Dipendra's immediate family are present,

except for his uncle Gyanendra.

Nice to see you. What can I fix you?

Well, uh, I think a Coke would be lovely.

Oh, great.

NARRATOR: His younger sister Princess
Sruti has arrived with her husband Kumar.

The first and the third Fridays
there would be family gatherings.

And it was just like a
normal Friday dinner party.

And the Crown Prince was
there serving drinks to everyone.

- And Kumar, one of these?
- Just a small one.

All right. Coming up right away.

Help yourselves to some nibbles.

There's an open buffet later on.

-There you go. -Thank you.

NARRATOR: Invitations to these gatherings
are usually arranged at the last minute.

But Dipendra's cousin
remembers that the Crown Prince

had wanted to know several days in advance

if she would attend.

He said, "Would you be there?
Shall I... shall I say you will be there?"

And that was the only unusual thing.

But of course I didn't think much about it

until after the whole incident was over.

And I started to wonder then,
I mean, if it was all planned.

Just excuse me for a
few moments, all right?

NARRATOR: Dipendra has an important
member of the family to go and collect.

She is the matriarch of the dynasty.

The Queen Mother.

Dipendra is close to his grandmother

and the short drive to pick her up provides
him with a break from entertaining,

which has become more
of a chore than a pleasure.

Earlier in the evening, the frustrations of
being Crown Prince had played on his mind.

Because for many years,

Dipendra has been wanting to marry
a girl whom he has fallen in love with.

Devyani Rana comes
from a wealthy background

far exceeding even that of
the Nepalese royal family.

Devyani is the great-granddaughter of
the last Rana prime minister of Nepal,

who wielded more power than the monarchy,

and a man not fondly
remembered by the Queen's family.

Devyani's mother comes from an extremely
rich and influential Indian family.

For Dipendra's parents,

these connections have the
potential to inflame bitter memories,

and so Devyani

is not seen as a suitable
future wife for their son.

The Queen Mother shares this view.

Has everyone arrived already?

All except Father.

He's working again over in the office.

He'll be late.

NARRATOR: In one attempt
to sabotage the marriage plans,

the Queen Mother
summoned the royal astrologer.

Without any scientific proof,

he foresaw that Devyani Rana

would be unlikely to produce a male heir

and suggested that
Dipendra end the relationship.

He had no such intention.

And Princess Helen and Princess Jayanti?

Yes. They're waiting for you.

Oh, lovely. I'll meet
them there in the annex.

It can get a little noisy with you
young ones in the billiard room.

(LAUGHS)

NARRATOR: Dipendra
has all his family around him.

But the one person who
is most important to him,

Devyani Rana, is not allowed to be there.

(PHONE RINGS)

Hello?

It's me.

Oh, well that's a surprise.

I'm already getting ready to go out.

What do you mean, going out?

Sanhjay and Shilpa... Dinner, remember?

Anyway, let me know what
time you'll be along, yeah?

-I can't just come and... -Okay, fine.

Just take your time.

Just me let what time you'll come, hmm?

Of course I can't.

Have you got any idea what that would mean?

I'm here with 20 guests. I
have my whole family here!

(SIGHS)

Not again, Dippy.

Family, family, family.

I thought you were going
to join us for dinner tonight.

When are you going to get out of
there and just get a life of your own?

He seems in a real foul mood.

NARRATOR: Of all his relations,

Dipendra is closest to his cousin Paras.

Ah, there you are!

What do you want?

Paras lives above the law.

His hit-and-run driving
once killed two motorists.

Then he shot a bouncer in
one of Kathmandu's nightclubs.

No charges were brought.

-Cheers. -Cheers.

Paras is Dipendra's only confidant.

PARAS: What happened
with the talk with your parents?

Oh, nothing. We've just been
talking about the marriage.

I spoke to Mother and Grandmother
about it and they said no.

I will speak to His
Majesty on Sunday about it.

No one yet realizes quite how
much Dipendra has been drinking.

My shot?

Corner pocket.

Bad luck.

Kumar Gorakh is alarmed
by Dipendra's behavior.

All of a sudden the Crown
Prince started shooting out of turn

and starting saying,
"Oh, I'm getting drunk."

I'm losing my aim a bit.

GORAKH: And just, like, all of a sudden

he went over to the
sofa and was sitting there.

Get me some of the specials.
I'm in the billiards room.

As soon as you can.

Ah, thank you.

GORAKH: Normally he just
smoked marijuana and hash,

or a mixture of that in a cigarette.

NARRATOR: Although
Dipendra is 29 years old,

it is not considered proper
for him even to smoke

a cigarette in front of
his parents or elders.

GORAKH: He smoked
that in the billiard room itself.

Actually, I got a little scared
at that point of time because...

I mean, I remember thinking "Oh, God,
what if His Majesty walks into the room?"

NARRATOR: Most of the guests
are unaware of Dipendra's condition.

His cousin Paras decides that
they should try to put him to bed.

(GRUNTS)

I'm fine.

GORAKH: We carried him

on the shoulders across like this.

And I was at the back just holding his cuff

because, uh, his legs were dragging.

NARRATOR: Dipendra
appears to be incapacitated,

but when Paras asks for his gun belt,

Dipendra's reply sounds coherent,

and Kumar begins to
wonder if it's all been an act.

GORAKH: Better just take it easy, okay?

I'll take your gun belt off.

I'm not wearing one today.

GORAKH: It came across pretty clear to me,

when he said, "No, no, I'm
not carrying anything today,"

there was no slurring or dragging of speech

as one would normally speak
when one would be drunk.

In hindsight it appears that maybe

he wasn't really drunk as
he made himself out to be.

NARRATOR: As Paras
leaves Dipendra's joints,

he spots an open drawer.

Better remove these.

Why bother?

I hope he feels better soon.

(LAUGHS)

NARRATOR: At the party, Dipendra's
departure hasn't gone unnoticed.

Perhaps it's an allergic
reaction to something.

May well be.

He was perfectly fine when
I was talking to him earlier.

NARRATOR: Maheshwar
Singh, Dipendra's great-uncle,

had been the first guest to arrive.

MAHESHWAR SINGH:
He was in an excellent mood.

Very pleasant, nice. I mean
no signs of any drunkenness,

nothing at all. He was...
He was perfectly all right.

Then he took me to the
bar, he showed me the drinks

and asked me what I would like to have.

DIPENDRA: What would you want?

I'll take a Scotch.

Ah, a good choice.
That's what I'm drinking.

SINGH: His Royal Highness poured me one.

-Want some ice? -Yes.

And he showed me his
glass, which was half-empty,

and he said he was also
having Famous Grouse.

DIPENDRA: Cheers.

At that point, then Rabi, my
brother-in-law, he walks in.

He was the second man to arrive.

And he was also asked to have a drink.

DIPENDRA: Some Scotch for you?

Oh, sure.

How about a game of billiards?

I might have to
decline, if that's all right.

(CELL PHONE RINGING)

NARRATOR: Dipendra is well-known
for being able to handle his drink.

But now, just one hour
later, he is barely conscious

when Devyani rings him back.

Hello?

Hello? Dippy? Dippy?

I can't hear you.

I mean, you're kind of sounding strange.

(MUMBLING)

You don't seem like
you're in the party. Are you?

(GROANING) Let me sleep.

Dippy, can you tell me where...

(CELL PHONE RINGS)

Dipendra's unanswered calls go
automatically to the palace security office.

(PHONE RINGS)

ADC office.

Hi, this is Devyani Rana.

I've just been talking to the
Crown Prince on the phone, but

he doesn't sound very well.
His voice was kind of slurred.

Can you please do me a favor?

Can you just go and check on
him and let me know if he's all right?

OFFICE ATTENDANT: I'll send
someone up to see him right away.

Let us help you off with your
shirt. You'll be more comfortable.

(VOMITING)

NARRATOR: In the annex
room next door to the party,

the King joins the Queen
and the Queen Mother

who are having drinks
with the older ladies.

Perfect timing. We were just getting
ready to make a toast to the Queen Mother.

Ladies.

Excuse me, Your Highness.

The Crown Prince has been taken to his bed.

He's not well.

Two orderlies are taking care of him.

I think it may be the drink, Your Highness.

All right. Thank you.

Please excuse us, I think we'll
go and join the fray now. Come.

QUEEN MOTHER: It's nice she
likes to be with the youngsters.

It's been kind of warm these days, hasn't
it? I wonder when the rain's going to come.

I've just been told that they've taken
the Crown Prince to his bedroom.

Seems he is a little worse for wear.

Hmm.

It's the big button on
the left that says "On."

(DANCE MUSIC PLAYS)

I know that.

He didn't drink that much. Did he?

He has a lot on his mind at the moment.

CHESTER: It was a bit of a surprise
when we came out of the other room

to hear that he got so drunk
that he had to be taken to bed.

And I've seen him drunk,

and he's one of those who
could really hold his drink.

(SIGHING)

It's okay. I'll be fine.

You can both go back to your
rooms and get some sleep.

(SIGHS)

NARRATOR: As well as his drinking,

Dipendra is known to smoke
large quantities of hashish.

But few realized that for a year,

he had also been taking anti-depressants.

Doctors had been alerted to Dipendra's
inability to respond well to stress.

His lack of exercise,

fluctuating body weight

and a fear of growing prematurely old.

Dipendra was already a lifetime away

from the aspirations of his happy
childhood, growing up in the palace.

GENERAL SIMNAR: I knew His
Royal Highness the Crown Prince

from very young, when
he was five years old.

And he was one of the most charming

and outgoing persons.

He was bright.

In every subject, he was so clued up

that you couldn't win him in
any debate or any argument.

He was like that.

NARRATOR: Prince Dipendra
was conscious of the power he held.

SIMNAR: The Crown Prince
was running around the pond,

and I was afraid that he might
slip and fall down into the water.

So I said, "Royal Highness, don't
do it, because you might fall down."

But he didn't listen.

And at that time he said,
"No, you can't order me."

"General," he said,
"General, you can't order me."

NARRATOR: At 16, following
in his father's footsteps,

Prince Dipendra enrolled at Eton in England

to complete his secondary education.

TOM HOLDEN: Many years previously
I had been asked to be the King's tutor

and, uh, as a result of
that his father thought

he would like to send his son to Eton
and he'd like him to come to my house.

So that's how that really came about.

NARRATOR: As well as his
studies, Dipendra excelled at karate

and became captain of the team.

He never lost a match.

MIKE TOWN: He was very strong
mentally and very determined,

and certainly when he went into a match,

you could see he looked very
concentrated and very focused throughout.

And I can't ever remember
him losing a match actually.

(CROWD CLAMORING)

NARRATOR: In 1990, riots broke out in Kathmandu
when India imposed an economic blockade,

bringing great hardship to Nepal.

Queen Aishwarya thought that her
husband should take a tougher stance

and asked for Dipendra to return home.

I remember Dipendra during
these troubles receiving a fax

um, from his mother,

and, uh, this really indicated

to Dipendra that she was quite keen

for him to come and, uh,
really prop up his father,

because she felt that the King was
giving away too much of his power

and I think she felt possibly that
he might even take over the reins.

NARRATOR: But she underestimated
the respect Dipendra had for his father.

HOLDEN: Dipendra was absolutely appalled.

He was so loyal to his
father, so loving of his father

and so loving of the
nation that he said to me,

"If I ever hear anything like this again,

"I am going to sever
connections with my mother,

"because I could not bear

"to, uh, in any way affect my father."

NARRATOR: His father King Birendra

gave in to the riots and took the
first steps to usher in democracy.

Dipendra was 19 years old and
ready to stride out into adulthood.

He wanted to marry his
teenage sweetheart Supriya Shah,

a great niece of the Queen Mother.

But the Queen decided
that they were too young

and disallowed the marriage.

With no specific role to fulfill,

Dipendra set out on a military career,

his unbending sense of duty
captured in a poem he wrote.

DIPENDRA: "Left bonds of love and affection

"Having duty understood

"If needed, soaked in blood

"Be ready to fight I would

"To flames reduce Will lightning halt

"Spray with blood I will

"On this uniform The country's vermilion

"Shake this earth I will"

NARRATOR: In 1995, while in England,

Dipendra was introduced to Devyani Rana.

She swept him off his feet.

But without the royal stamp of approval,

their affair had to continue in secret.

As the years passed,

everyone in Kathmandu
would learn of their charade.

CHESTER: The people in
Kathmandu didn't seem to object.

In fact, there was a Miss Nepal Pageant,

and one of the contestants

was asked this question
"What do you think about

"Dipendra and Devyani getting married?"

And she was all for it and then
she was given a standing ovation.

NARRATOR: But Devyani was not
an easy catch, even for a Crown Prince.

Her sophisticated coolness began
to expose Dipendra's instabilities.

He became so desperate to marry her
that he even threatened to poison himself

should she refuse him.

But Dipendra's greatest
anxiety came from his family.

They knew that he was likely to
disobey them and try to marry Devyani.

But they also knew that they
could always cut off his allowance,

leaving him penniless.

Dipendra is trapped.

The elders of the royal family
are all aware of Dipendra's agony,

but there appears to be
no obvious compromise.

I'm having a talk with him this Sunday.

Perhaps that will at least clear the air.

He wasn't exactly
forthcoming at lunch today.

And he just sat in silence
at tea this afternoon.

But then he had this
evening to think about, so...

He's sulking. You know
how young people are.

They want everything
to happen in an instant.

If only it was that simple.

In my experience, these
things just never go away.

Hi.

I tried to call you. Where are you, Dippy?

You don't pick up my phone.

I know.

They told me you were
resting. I didn't believe them.

You know I don't like
it when it gets this way.

It worries me. It bothers me, Dippy.

- Why are you doing this to yourself?
- I'm okay.

I think I'm off to sleep now.

So I'll say good night.

We'll talk tomorrow.

Good night, Dippy.

NARRATOR: Dipendra has one other passion.

Guns.

He was given his first
pistol on his eighth birthday,

and has collected them ever since.

He has access to the palace armory

and keeps his own collection in his room.

GORAKH: I think I banged into him or
something and I was like, "What was that?"

And, you know, "It's my pistol."

And he just went,

"Should I shoot you
with it?" kind of a thing.

And, you know, I just brushed it aside.

I mean it's a joke, like a
joke basically and obviously

I had no reason to
take that quite literally.

NARRATOR: He is an excellent shot,

better than any of his guards.

SIMNAR: It would be very correct to say
that he was obsessed with the weapons.

He wanted to excel on
everything what he did.

NARRATOR: As well as
enjoying computer gun fights,

Dipendra even designed the perfect gun.

And the royal family and palace
staff are used to hearing him practicing

or shooting birds in the
palace grounds at night.

Gunfire is a sound that no one
takes any notice of anymore.

Go get the bird. Hurry up!

CHESTER: I knew he liked guns,

and he talked about guns a lot.

That was his favorite topic. And
I also knew he was a good shot,

and he trained himself to use both hands.

NARRATOR: At 8:45 p.m. the King
leaves the Queen Mother's annex

and joins the party in the billiard room.

How are you?

Oh, very well.

Would you like me to carry
the bag tonight, Your Highness?

No. That won't be necessary tonight.

NARRATOR: For the Nepalese
royal family, time is running out.

Inside the billiard room,

King Birendra is surrounded by most of
his immediate family and closest friends.

Everyone thinks that Crown
Prince Dipendra has taken to his bed.

Could you please give me cigars?

Thank you.

But you know the one with the
motorcycle chase? I like that much better.

(LAUGHS)

(DANCE MUSIC PLAYING)

You don't want to join
the disco at the top end?

(LAUGHING)

(CELL PHONE RINGS)

Someone is trying to ring me.

Kidnap one tourist and we are sunk.

They run and hide in the hill villages.

It's always like this before the monsoon.

It's sure to break soon.

And then it will be the
rain that wakes her up.

And then the innocent suffer.

I think I was the first person who saw
him come in with a gun in each hand.

I wasn't told it was a fancy dress!

Maybe he's carrying these weapons

to show them to His Majesty.

Oh.

CHESTER: I felt he was
dressed up to go with the guns.

Kind of. I mean, that's what I thought.

And then the whole world hears about it,

and then bang goes the tourist industry.

SINGH: Suddenly I hear
somebody coming behind me.

I turned around

over my shoulder and looked.

And found to my surprise that
this was His Royal Highness

with the automatic rifle in his right hand

and dressed in army fatigue.

Hey! What's up? What's all this?

Suddenly I hear bang, bang.

(GUNSHOTS)

It was such a shock when he
lifted the gun and shot at his father.

And his father took two or three bullets.

(GUNSHOTS)

What have you done?

CHESTER: That's when he dropped the gun.

And that was the only time in that
evening when he was slightly vulnerable.

If somebody had grabbed
him then at that time,

then I think it would have ended.

But everyone was dazed.

Nobody could react.

(GUESTS SCREAMING)

NARRATOR: Captain Rajiv
Shahi, a trained military doctor,

tries to stem the flow
of blood with his jacket.

(ALL SHOUTING)

Next door, the Queen Mother
doesn't know what's happening.

There is firing going on?

Oh, it's him again shooting cats and crows.

But anyway...

NARRATOR: Dipendra
returns the shotgun to the bag

and selects a pistol

and an M16 automatic machine gun.

(GUESTS SCREAMING)

Inside, most of the royal family believe

the gun must have gone off by accident.

Call the doctor!

No one is prepared when
Dipendra re-enters the room.

GORAKH: The Crown
Prince re-entered the room

and he went where His Majesty was lying.

And was going to shoot him again.

Enough!

NARRATOR: Prince Dhirendra, the
King's brother, tries to end the violence.

Now give me that gun.

He shot him point blank.

(GUNSHOTS)

He literally flew

and landed a couple of feet back.

Oh my God, oh my God!

NARRATOR: His uncle
Kumar Khadga is the next victim.

(GUNSHOTS)

His wife Princess Sharada runs to his side.

(SCREAMS)

CHESTER: I watched
him kill Princess Sharada.

It was horrible, I've
never... I've never ever

had to live through anything this horrible.

It was as if he knew exactly
who he was shooting at,

you know. It was...

So focused, and just going boom, boom.

NARRATOR: Just one year
earlier, at his 29th birthday party,

after the elders had left,

Dipendra had vowed
that he would allow no one

to obstruct his marriage plans.

You are either for me

or against me.

Anyone not in favor of my plans

or what I want to do, can leave now.

I mean what I say.

I'll kill anyone, any of you,

if you so much as stand in my way.

NARRATOR: It was a threat
no one could take seriously

until his younger sister,

Princess Sruti, who
was pregnant at the time,

spoke out against him.

You cannot talk to
your own family like this.

It's not about threats.

How can you be so selfish?

And what do you know about marriage anyway?

-I know! -(SLAPS)

(SHRIEKS)

NARRATOR: Is Dipendra carrying
out the threat as he had promised?

GORAKH: Everyone who tried to reason with
him as to why he would be marrying this girl

or why he should continue
the traditions of the family...

All of them were targeted, I believe.

NARRATOR: Kumar becomes the next victim.

GORAKH: When our eyes met

I thought for a second
maybe he was hesitating.

(GUNSHOTS)

(GROANS)

But then next thing I know,

I had been hit.

What was that?

Better check it out right away!

NARRATOR: At first, the
security staff are alerted by shouts

coming from Dipendra's residence.

(GROANING)

Dipendra's younger sister, Princess Sruti,

now lies within his sights.

(CRIES OUT)

GORAKH: Then he aimed at my wife...

-(GUNSHOTS) -He shot her.

(GUNSHOTS)

And I actually felt her strength give way.

NARRATOR: Kumar believes his time is up.

(GUNSHOTS)

GORAKH: He did shoot me.

But... My thumb took a lot of impact,

but by losing a thumb, I guess...

And, you know, it saved my life.

He was out there spraying
bullets like a madman.

(GUNSHOTS)

Sir, sir, I can hear shots!

All units!

Immediately! Emergency! All units!

NARRATOR: Only now does the
palace security realize there's a crisis.

(GUNSHOTS)

Maheshwar Singh takes a chance and
runs for cover to the far end of the room.

Get down, down!

Actually I pretended as
if I was hit or, you know...

Uh, I purposely played dead. Yes.

That... That was the whole idea.

(GUNSHOTS)

NARRATOR: His brother-in-law
Rabi Shamshere follows him.

(GUNSHOTS)

Still conscious,

King Birendra sees an
opportunity to end the massacre

and shoot his own son.

But his sister, Princess Shoba, stops him.

That's enough! We've had enough violence.

-No! -(GUNSHOTS)

(SCREAMS)

GORAKH: Just the cruelty.

I remember seeing His
Majesty just lift his hand,

like, "Stop it," sort of a thing.

(GUNSHOTS)

But he sprayed more bullets.

NARRATOR: Dr. Rajiv Shahi

is the only person able to escape.

Leaving his wife at the far end of the
room, he manages to flee through a window.

It takes the security forces precious
minutes to reach the billiard room.

Prince Paras' mother, Princess
Komal, becomes the next target.

Miraculously, she will survive.

(GUNSHOTS)

But the King's sister Princess
Shanti is killed immediately.

Down, down. Just lie down.

Dipendra's second cousin,
Princess Jayanti, tries to call for help.

(GUNSHOTS)

CHESTER: Still it gives me the
creeps when I remember his face.

He really looked exactly
like the Terminator 2.

Absolutely expressionless but very

concentrated.

And it's his look that frightened
me more actually than being shot at.

-(GUNSHOTS) -(SCREAMS)

You have to kill the animal. I mean,
you don't leave something just wounded.

I think because the
blood went all over my face

and my head, I think he
thought he had killed me also.

NARRATOR: Commandos fail to gain
access at one end of the billiard hall,

causing further delay.

Prince Paras, Dipendra's closest friend

and his young cousins are
trapped at one end of the room.

No, brother!

No, brother!

No!

What are you doing?

Please.

Just go from here.

We are the only ones here.

No. No, please!

CHESTER: And I saw
him go out into the garden.

Then I saw the Queen go after him.

Stop. Please stop!

And then I saw Nirajan
rushing after her too.

- Don't go after him.
- I even called out twice.

"Don't."

Don't! Stop!

NARRATOR: The Queen and
Dipendra's younger brother, Prince Nirajan,

try to confront him.

Why are you...

Out there!

Military units finally
gain access to the room.

Prince Paras takes command.

First take Their Majesties!

Then take the injured!

Leave the dead for now.

King Birendra is still alive.

Escort these people out.

Where's Her Majesty?

More stretchers in here! At the double!

Paras.

NARRATOR: The King's brother,
Prince Dhirendra, lies paralyzed.

I know it's difficult, I
know you're in pain,

but help is on its way.

- We'll soon take you to the hospital.
- Okay.

Just try and keep on top of it, okay?

DHIRENDRA: Okay, okay. Okay.

What are you doing? You are my
son. Why are you doing this? Why?

Brother!

Brother! That's enough, brother!

-No. -(GUNSHOTS)

(GASPS)

Dipendra!

Stop, Dipendra! He was
your younger brother!

What are you trying to prove?

Your father, your sister, now your brother!

What are you trying to do?

(GASPS)

-(GUNSHOTS) -(SCREAMS)

DIPENDRA: "Left bonds of love and affection

"Having duty understood

"If needed, soaked in blood

"Be ready to fight I would

"To flames reduce Will lightning halt

"Spray with blood I will

"On this uniform The country's vermilion

"Shake this earth I will"

(SCREAMS)

(GUNSHOT)

NARRATOR: A single
bullet to the side of his head

brings Crown Prince Dipendra to the ground

and an end to the violence.

Thirteen members of the Nepalese
royal family now lie dead or wounded.

He shot himself. He shot himself!

What about Her Majesty? And Prince Nirajan?

Prince Nirajan has been shot.

And so has the Queen.

Dipendra!

- Dipendra has shot His Majesty the King.
- What?

And all the others.

What are you talking about?

-No, you mustn't. -No, I have to go.

No, please!

And the poor Queen Mother,

I mean, can you imagine losing

four children and three
grandchildren in one evening?

I can't bear to think of
her all alone in that palace.

It must be so lonely for her.

- I have to go.
- Don't go in there. Please, don't...

Everybody but Dhirendra is dead.

- What about the King?
- He's been taken to the hospital.

Are you sure he's okay?
We have to go and see him.

NARRATOR: It is a tragedy which
will have far-reaching consequences,

but an event so extraordinary,

no one will ever believe it.

King Birendra is rushed to the
military hospital in Kathmandu.

Although he has multiple
wounds, he is still alive.

But only just.

DOCTOR: Quickly! Quickly
bring him in here. Quickly.

This way, this way, come.

Get some oxygen, quick.

He's lost a lot of blood.
This is not looking good.

What's your reading?

GORAKH: They were pumping His
Majesty's heart, trying to revive him.

It's just sad to see him
lying down there like...

You know, lifeless.

DOCTOR: Get some oxygen, quick.

He's lost a lot of blood.
This is not looking good.

-What's your reading? -Very low.

CHESTER: King Birendra was the nicest,
kindest person I've ever met in my life.

Check his pulse.

CHESTER: In Nepal they say he is a...

A reincarnation of Vishnu,

and I think he really was.

- (EKG FLATLINING)
- I'm afraid there is no hope.

NARRATOR: At 9:15 p.m.,

King Birendra is pronounced dead.

The lifeless bodies of Queen Aishwarya

and Prince Nirajan are
delivered to the trauma ward.

Princess Sruti died within
minutes of her arrival.

She was only 25, and
left behind two daughters.

GORAKH: I did see them carry

my wife's body

away from the trauma room,
I guess to the moratorium.

I've lost somebody

I was going to spend
the rest of my life with,

and

for my daughters especially,
they have lost a mother.

(BEEPING)

NARRATOR: Kumar
Khadga and Princess Sharada,

Princess Shanti and Princess Jayanti

were all declared dead on arrival.

The King's brother, Dhirendra,
was soon to die in hospital.

The following day,

Saturday the 2nd of June 2001,

the country of Nepal
woke up to the tragic news.

The royal victims were cremated that day.

But Crown Prince Dipendra was still alive

and placed on a mechanical ventilator.

As his family was cremated,

he was proclaimed King.

CHESTER: I felt betrayed
that after doing so much damage

to the family and to the country,

that they made him King.

I felt very betrayed.

NARRATOR: Dipendra
reigned for just two days.

At 3:45 p.m. on June the 4th,

he died.

(BEEPING)

The single bullet through his
head had left a gaping wound.

Since Dipendra was right-handed,

it would become a matter of speculation

as to why he should have
shot himself with his left hand.

And why two bullets had
been fired from his pistol.

An autopsy was never carried out

and later Dipendra's residence,
where the tragedy took place,

was razed to the ground.

SIMNAR: Whatever he wanted, he got.

Now here, comes a situation where

he is not really getting
the thing that he wants.

He is not able to act the way he feels.

So that must have put him off,

and that ego that he couldn't do,

that probably was stronger
than his personal character,

that...

Sort of superseded or won over him,

and that made him act the way he did.

NARRATOR: Turning down Scotland
Yard's offer of a forensic investigation,

the royal family issued
a cover-up statement

claiming that the accident was caused
by an automatic weapon going off.

No one in Nepal believed this explanation.

PROF. MICHAEL HUTT: This point could be seen
as the point at which the Nepalese public

began to fall out with its
monarchy in a terminal kind of way,

because of the palace's assumption that

it could tell the people what to think
and the public would then think it.

Which has been tested to
breaking point ever since,

and the Nepalese public now refuse
to believe what the King tells them.

NARRATOR: When Gyanendra,

who had been absent
from the party, became King,

he was treated with mistrust.

Without any evidence most
Nepalese believed Gyanendra

had engineered the attack.

Even though his wife narrowly escaped death
and his son forced to plead for his life.

No.

Another commonly-held
belief is that Dipendra was shot

not by himself, but by
one of the palace guards.

-We will never know. -(GUNSHOT)

No one is prepared to talk.

In either event, the evidence
does not point at a conspiracy

but to a personal catastrophe

which would weaken the monarchy

and strengthen the march to democracy.

CHESTER: I've never, ever had
to live through anything this horrible.

But the thing is, I'm glad I was there.

If I hadn't seen it with my own eyes,

I might have been like the
rest of the people of Nepal,

found it impossible to believe.