1.   Both foreign observers and Nepalese palace watchers said public unrest over the royal killings did not reflect dissatisfaction with the elected government.

2.   But most palace watchers believe the king would have preferred Hamzah, his oldest son by his fourth wife, Queen Noor, as successor.

3.   But palace watchers say Abdullah sees Sultan, now minister of defense, as the embodiment of a culture of corruption that Abdullah wants to end.

4.   Palace watcher Nigel Blundel predicted that she will now fade into obscurity.

5.   The Golden Jubilee was a national outpouring of support and respect for a dutiful monarch that took even the most loyal of palace watchers by surprise.