Kathmandu - Gyanendra Shah, 60, has the dubious distinction of being the only king in Nepal to be crowned twice and to be the country's last king after the new assembly voted to abolish the monarchy Wednesday.

Gyanendra was born in July 1947 as the second son to Crown Prince Mahendra and Crown Princess Indra Rajya Laxmi Devi Shah.

In 1950 at the age of three, he first became king of Nepal when the autocratic Rana clan of Nepalese prime ministers installed him as monarch after his grandfather King Tribhuvan and the rest of the royal family joined forces with pro-democracy groups and fled to India.

In 1991, his brother and the then king Birendra lifted a ban on political parties and restored multi-party democracy following a growing pro-democracy movement.

Gyanendra had always been critical of his brother's decision to restore multi-party democracy.

Following a palace shootout in June 2001 which resulted in the death of his brother Birendra along with his entire family, Gyanendra was crowned the king for the second time.

Within months of his assuming the throne, Maoists rebels, then a growing rebel force in western Nepal, clashed with the army. In November of 2001, Gyanendra did not hesitate to mobilise the army on the recommendation of the prime minister to quash the rebel movement.

Nepalese already suspicious of Gyanendra over the circumstances surrounding his ascending the throne grew more sceptical when he grabbed full executive power and jailed top politicians, promising to end the insurgency and control growing corruption.

However, a year later, he was forced to step down after anti-monarch protests paralysed the country.

Until he became king in June 2001, he was mainly known for his keen interest in nature and wildlife conservation activities.

Gyanendra's family was hit by a number of headline-grabbing scandals revolving around his son, Paras, who was involved in a number of fatal car accidents which many Nepalese felt were never fully explained because of his ties to the royal family.

Gyanendra and Komal, who were married in 1970, have two children, Prince Paras, and a daughter, Princess Prerana. (dpa)