Thimpu, Bhutan - In his time as crown prince of the tiny Himalayan kingdom of Bhutan, he was known as "Prince Charming." Before his coronation on Thursday at the age of 28 in the Bhutanese capital Thimpu, he was described by newspapers in neighbouring India as "the most eligible bachelor in South Asia."

Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck is now, however, unequivocably "the Dragon King," the fifth monarch of reunited Bhutan, and the world's youngest head of state.

Jigme Khesar is ready for the throne, having been de facto king of Bhutan since his father, Jigme Singye Wangchuck, told his shocked population in 2006 that he was preparing to step down from power.

Since then, Oxford University graduate Jigme Khesar has travelled the length and breadth of the mountain kingdom building his relationship with the people - so that one day he might compare with his father's heights on the popularity scale.

Jigme Khesar will be "a king for whom his subjects will be more important than anything else, even more than his family," said Buddhist monk Gyempo Dorji, 45, at the coronation ceremony on Thursday.

The young king is, in the eyes of many Bhutanese, indeed charming, cultured, down-to-earth and unselfish. "He is a king of human values," said Dorji.

The Dragon King will have grown into the job. He's had time to prepare for it since 2006. And his father will always be at his side to provide counsel.

In his 34 years as king of Bhutan, Jigme Singye took an unusual course for an autocrat - democratization.

The sharp curtailment of the monarchy's powers and the development of the country's young democracy are paths that Jigme Khesar wishes to continue on.

"We must build a democratic culture," he said in a speech last year.

In 2002 at the UN General Assembly, the Crown Prince called for a worldwide fight against poverty, disease and hunger. "It is our responsibility to shape the future in which every child can be free of these afflictions," he said.

Jigme Khesar was born on February 21, 1980, which, according to the Bhutanese lunar calendar, is the year of the Iron Monkey. He is the oldest of ten children that were borne by his father's four wives - who themselves are all sisters.

The Crown Prince attended a normal local school in Bhutan, before studying at Cushing Academy and Wheaton College in the US state of Massachusetts and Magdalen College in Oxford, England. He received military training in the Indian army.

In 2002 the King gave his eldest son the traditional red shawl, and officially named him Crown Prince. In the autumn of 2005 and spring of 2006 Jigme Khesar travelled through Bhutan to discuss with the population a new democratic constitution that will be approved this year.

Next to no gossip circulates about the 28-year-old, who wears his dark hair gelled back. That's in sharp contrast to neighbouring Nepal, where the excesses and carousing of Crown Prince Paras brought discredit to the whole monarchy, which was jettisoned this spring.

Bhutan's monarchy should be able to avoid this fate. Its people hope Jigme Khesar enjoys a long reign.

Jigme Khesar wore a serious expression Thursday as he received the crown from his father. Then, upon ascending the throne he gave a shy smile, his first of the ceremony. (dpa)