Nepalese king leaves royal palace

Nepal's ousted King Gyanendra swept out of his sprawling official palace in a black limousine for the last time on today, two…

Nepal's ousted King Gyanendra swept out of his sprawling official palace in a black limousine for the last time on today, two weeks after a special assembly abolished the 239-year-old Hindu monarchy.

Driving past hundreds of onlookers, a few chanting slogans against him, Gyanendra left the pink, pagoda-roofed Narayanhiti palace in the heart of Kathmandu, making his way to a hunting lodge just outside the capital.

A special assembly elected in April ended the 239-year-old Hindu monarchy last month, turning the Himalayan nation into a republic.

The end of the monarchy was part of a 2006 peace deal with the Maoist rebels who joined the political mainstream after a decade-long civil war which caused more than 13,000 deaths.

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The assembly gave Mr Gyanendra until tomorrow to leave the sprawling Narayanhiti royal palace in Kathmandu - which will be turned into a museum.

The Nepali government will allow Mr Gyanendra to live in the state-owned Nagarjun palace, 8km (five miles) northwest of Kathmandu, until he arranges a private home.

It used to be his summer palace before the government took over ownership last year.

The Maoist former rebels secured a surprise win in the April elections for a constituent assembly and are set to form a coalition government since they do not enjoy the required majority in the 601-seat body.

They also wanted the king to vacate the palace as soon as possible.

Mr Gyanendra became unpopular after he grabbed absolute power in 2005 to fight the Maoists but was forced to hand power back to political parties after weeks of protests against him the following year.

He has since been stripped of all powers.

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