Tribute to His Majesty, the Fourth Druk Gyalpo
Our friendship with the people of Bhutan has brought my family great joy, and we are deeply appreciative to the Royal Family for a lifetime of memories. Now shared by the fourth generation, the relationship began when Her Majesty Ashi Kesang and I were classmates in England. We have seen Bhutan emerge into a state respected worldwide for its cultural preservation and environmental leadership.
As a young child, His Majesty traveled with his family to visit my parents me at our home in Switzerland, naming it the ‘Swiss Dzong’. A strong friendship grew between my father, Fritz von Schulthess, and His Majesty’s father. We spoke of the and similarities between our countries and of His Late Majesty’s dreams for modernizing Bhutan. My family continues to regularly visit Bhutan and to welcome Bhutanese into out home in New York and Boston.
We have watched Bhutan flourish under the enlightened leadership of His Majesty Jigme Singye Wangchuck and are full of admiration for his astute balance of tradition and development. Following the path of his visionary concept of Gross National Happiness, in just a few decades, his introduction of education, health care, hydro power and many other initiatives has dramatically improved the quality of life of Bhutan’s citizens. The extended Hoch family congratulates His Majesty on his successful reign, and we send best wishes for an auspicious beginning to the reign of His Majesty the fifth King and the upcoming elections in 2008.
Lisina von Schulthess Hoch and family
A Friend of Bhutan
2007