Dorji Wangmo

This name uses Bhutanese naming customs. Bhutanese people have two given names, neither of which is a surname or family name unless they are descended from royal or noble lineages.

Dorji Wangmo Wangchuck (Dzongkha: རྡོ་རྗེ་དབང་མོ་དབང་ཕྱུག་, Wylie: Rdo-rje Dbang-mo Dbang-phyug; born 10 June 1955) is the Queen Mother (Gyalyum Kude) of Bhutan, and first wife of former king Jigme Singye Wangchuck, who is married to four sisters all of whom were entitled to be called queen.^[1][2]

Dorji Wangmo
Dorji Wangmo in 2018
Queen consort of Bhutan
Tenure	1979 – 9 December 2006
Co-queens consort	Tshering Pem Tshering Yangdon Sangay Choden
Born	(1955-06-10) 10 June 1955 (age 69) Nobgang, Punakha, Bhutan
Spouse	Jigme Singye Wangchuck ​ ​ (m. 1979)​
Issue	Sonam Dechen Wangchuck Jigyel Ugyen Wangchuck
Names Dorji Wangmo Wangchuck[fn 1]
House	Wangchuck (by marriage)
Father	Yab Dasho Ugyen Dorji
Mother	Yum Thuji Zam
Religion	Vajrayana Buddhism

Biography

Her father, Yab Dasho Ugyen Dorji (1929–2016), was the Founder and Proprietor of Ugyen Academy (03/04/2002).^[3] Her mother is Yum Thuiji Zam (b. 1932).

Ashi Dorji Wangmo Wangchuck is the first wife of King Jigme Singye Wangchuck, the Fourth King of Bhutan.

She was educated at St. Helen's School, Kurseong, India.

She is the mother of Princess Ashi Sonam Dechan Wangchuck and Prince Dasho Jigyel Ugyen Wangchuck.

Activities

Queen Mother Ashi Dorji Wangmo Wangchuck of Bhutan at St Peter's College, Oxford, attending the graduation ceremony of her son, Prince Dasho Jigyel Ugyen Wangchuck (left) on 29 September 2007

The Queen Mother has sponsored and edited a number of books on poetry and essays on national issues. She is the author of Of Rainbows and Clouds a story of Dasho Yab Ugyen Dorji (the Queen’s Father).^{[4][better source needed]} Her second book, Treasures of the Thunder Dragon: A Portrait of Bhutan, is a blend of personal memoir, history, folklore and travelogue.^[5] Her third book, Dochula: A Spiritual Abode in Bhutan, is a documentation of the Druk Wangyel Complex consisting of the Lungchutse Lhakhang, 108 Druk Wangyel Stupas, the Druk Wangyel Lhakhang and the Druk Wangyel Tshechu.^[6]

She was honoured with the Pope Francis Charity and Leadership Award at a ceremony, in recognition of the work done by Her Majesty’s Tarayana Foundation under her leadership. ^[7]

Children

She had, with the former king, the following children:

Name	Birth	Marriage		Issue
Princess Ashi Sonam Dechen Wangchuck (Photo)	(1981-08-05) 5 August 1981 (age 43)	5 April 2009	Dasho Phub W. Dorji[8]	Dasho Jigje Singye Wangchuck[9][10] ( (2009-12-03) 3 December 2009 (age 15)) Dasho Jigme Jigten Wangchuck[11] ( (2013-08-23) 23 August 2013 (age 11))
Prince Dasho Jigyel Ugyen Wangchuck (Photo)	(1984-07-06) 6 July 1984 (age 40)

Selected works

• Of Rainbows and Clouds: The Life of Yab Ugyen Dorji as told to His Daughter (1998).^[12]
• Treasures of the Thunder Dragon: A Portrait of Bhutan (2006).^[13]
• Dochula: A Spiritual Abode in Bhutan (2015).^[14]

Patronages

• Chief Patron to Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock since 1999.
• Chief Patron of “Bhutan Echoes: Drukyul's Arts & Literature Festival”.
• Honorary President of Sherubtse College since 2000.
• President and Founder of the Tarayana Foundation (TF) since 2003.^[15]
• Patron of the Folk Heritage Museum (FHM) [Phelchey Toenkhyim] since 2001.

Honours

•  United States :
  • Caritas in Veritate International: Pope Francis Award for Charity & Leadership (22 October 2016).^[16]