Queen grew up under the protection of Gurkhas

She came to Nepal twice in 1961 and 1986

Queen Elizabeth II grew up in the British royal palace under the protection of Gorkhas. She has visited Nepal twice and is known as the British Queen who loves Nepali people. She has been in power for seven decades and has visited 117 countries of the world including Nepal.

She was popular in Nepal as well and had visited Nepal twice. According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Elizabeth II and the Prince visited Nepal twice in 1961 and 1986. After the Second World War, Elizabeth and the couple came to Nepal during the Cold War between the West led by America and the then Soviet Union. When they came for the first time in 1961, they were welcomed at Tribhuvan Airport in Kathmandu by the then King Mahendra and Rani Ratna.

Last May, Nepali and British Gurkha communities in Britain also celebrated Rani's Diamond Festival with various programs, while Nepali Ambassador Gyan Chandra Acharya participated in military parade, 'Thanksgiving' and reception ceremony. On that occasion, Nepal's President Bidya Devi Bhandari also sent a congratulatory message to the Queen.

Queen Elizabeth, who carries the history of Britain, last spoke to Nepali Ambassador Acharya in the third week of March. While Ambassador Acharya was presenting his certificate of status at Buckingham Palace, the Queen, who was connected from her residence at Windsor Castle through a video link, recalled her historic visit to Nepal. She also expressed her hope that UK-Nepal relations will become more harmonious during the dialogue which lasted for about 10 minutes. Ambassador Acharya informed that the Queen also discussed the centuries-long friendly and intimate relationship between Britain and Nepal. On that occasion, Acharya conveyed the message of greetings sent by the President of Nepal Bidya Devi Bhandari and Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba to the Queen and the British people.

Former British Gurkha soldier Major Surja Bahadur Thapa, who served as a security guard at Buckingham Palace for about a year in 1991, considers Elizabeth II as the Queen who loves Nepal and Nepali people. He told Kantipur that he was engaged in the protection of the queen in every event held in the palace. Thapa, whose old home is Syangja and currently lives in Kathmandu, served in the British Army from 1965 to 1995. He said that the queen used to talk to them like a common person. "During our duty, there was an arrangement to bring the queen to the hall where the program was to be held. The queen did not speak about Nepal, but she knew that I was from Nepal," he recalled the incident at that time, "After the program, she would ask where you are going. Apart from that, we had no communication. When he met the queen at the beginning before the program, he used to say thank you for coming. Thapa said that he was honored as a 'Member of Victorian Order CAS-4'.

Diplomatic relations were established between the two countries after the Sugauli Treaty was signed between Nepal and Britain in 1816. Britain is the first country with which Nepal established diplomatic relations. After that, Nepalis started to join the British Gorkhas. In 1947, when the British left independent India and returned, there was a tripartite agreement between the three countries to recruit Nepalis in British Gurkha. On the basis of the same treaty, Nepalis are still being enrolled in British Gurkha and Indian Gurkha. Since 1816, Nepalese Gorkhas have been helping the British in security. The security responsibility of Queen Elizabeth has also been in Nepalese hands. That is why she is always with the security of Nepalese.