Princess Kritika of Nepal
Former member of the Nepalese royal family (born 2003)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Kritika Rajya Lakshmi Devi Shah (Nepali: कृतिका राज्य लक्ष्मी देवी शाह; born 16 October 2003) is a former princess of Nepal. She is the youngest daughter of former Crown Prince Paras Shah and former Crown Princess Himani Shah, and a granddaughter of King Gyanendra, the last monarch of Nepal.[1][2] When the monarchy was abolished on 28 May 2008, she ceased to hold any royal title or style; she has since lived a private life, mainly outside Nepal.[3]
| Kritika Rajya Laxmi Devi Shah | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Born | 16 October 2003 Narayanhity Palace, Kathmandu, Nepal | ||||
| |||||
| Dynasty | Shah dynasty | ||||
| Father | Paras Shah | ||||
| Mother | Himani Shah | ||||
| Religion | Hinduism | ||||
Early life and family
Kritika was born on 16 October 2003 at the Narayanhity Royal Palace in Kathmandu, the youngest of three children of then Crown Prince Paras Shah and Crown Princess Himani Shah.[2] She has an elder sister, Purnika, and an elder brother, Hridayendra.[1] Through her father she is a direct descendant of Prithvi Narayan Shah, the founder of modern Nepal, and a member of the Shah dynasty that ruled the country from 1768 until 2008.[1]
Her mother, Himani, is originally from the former princely family of Sikar in present-day Rajasthan, India.[2] Her paternal grandparents are King Gyanendra Bir Bikram Shah Dev and Queen Komal Rajya Lakshmi Devi Shah, a descendant of the Rana dynasty.[1]
Succession and the monarchy
Because Nepal followed a system of agnatic primogeniture at the time of her birth, Kritika like her elder sister was not in the line of succession, which was reserved for male dynasts.[4] In August 2006 the House of Representatives passed a bill replacing agnatic primogeniture with absolute primogeniture, which would have allowed the eldest child, regardless of sex, to inherit the crown.[4] A clause in the legislation, however, preserved the existing dynastic order for living members; Kritika's formal position was therefore never altered before the monarchy's end.[4]
On 28 May 2008 the 1st Nepalese Constituent Assembly voted to abolish the monarchy and declared Nepal a federal democratic republic.[3][5] The royal family lost all official privileges and was given a short period to vacate the Narayanhity Palace.[3]
Life after the republic
Relocation abroad
In July 2008, Kritika then four years old left Nepal with her mother and siblings to join their father in Singapore.[6][7] Paras Shah had left two weeks earlier to arrange housing and schooling for the family.[8] A relative told the BBC that the children's education was being disrupted by "constant strikes and traffic problems in Nepal."[8] The family later moved to the United States, where Kritika spent most of her teenage years.[2]
Education
Kritika attended the UWC Thailand International School in Phuket, a college-preparatory institution offering the International Baccalaureate (IB) diploma.[2][9] The school is known for its emphasis on mindfulness, community service, and academically rigorous international education.
Citizenship
In December 2021, Kritika and her mother obtained Nepali citizenship certificates. This followed a broader government move to restore citizenship rights to members of the former royal family who had been effectively stateless after the monarchy's dissolution.[2]
Public profile and privacy
Kritika maintains a modest Instagram presence with over 46,000 followers, where she shares personal and travel photographs.[2] She has also undertaken internships in Nepal's hospitality industry. In 2025, during youth‑led protests against corruption and elite privilege, some activists pointed to Kritika and her sister Purnika as examples of inherited privilege, a perception the sisters themselves have not publicly addressed.[2][1]