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New York Post (NY)
August 6, 2001
Author: Jessie Graham
The prince of Nepal who massacred the royal family before shooting himself to death was driven to kill by “stress, arrogance and depression” – not anger at his parents for opposing his plan to marry his girlfriend, it was reported today.
Crown Prince Dipendra was taking anti-depressants and began threatening to kill his family a year before the slaughter June 1, according to a story in this week’s Talk magazine.
Original reports of the killing said the prince gunned down nine relatives, including his parents, sister and brother, because he’d been forbidden to marry his lover, Devyani Rana.
But the prince in fact had another girlfriend who he claimed he wanted to marry, and many other lovers, the story said. The prince enlisted the help of a psychiatrist in early 2000, admitting that he was depressed and had a drinking problem, the magazine said.
Former classmates from Eton interviewed after the murder described Dipendra as a crazed, gun-obsessed student. His mental health deteriorated further when he returned to Nepal and began to take on more royal responsibilities.
“This man is not sane, he needs treatment,” one of his closest female friends was reported saying more than a year ago.
He began taking anti-depressants. But the medication required him to stop drinking and he started smoking more hash to manage his alcohol withdrawal, according to the story.
Record Number: NYPO20010806258269