Hope Cooke

Hope Cooke, born on June twenty-fourth, nineteen forty, is a distinguished historian, autobiographer, journalist, and the first American-born Queen Consort of Sikkim. She became the Gyalmo, or Queen Consort, of Palden Thondup Namgyal, the twelfth and last Chogyal of Sikkim, following their wedding in March nineteen sixty-three. Her royal title was solidified during Namgyal's coronation in nineteen sixty-five, where she was honored as Her Highness The Crown Princess of Sikkim.

Cooke's life took a dramatic turn in nineteen seventy-five when Sikkim was merged into India amid political upheaval. By July nineteen seventy-three, she had left her husband and the royal palace, returning to New York City. The couple's marriage ended in divorce in nineteen eighty, and Namgyal passed away from cancer in New York City in nineteen eighty-two.

After her departure from royal life, Cooke embarked on a successful career as a lecturer, book critic, and magazine contributor. She authored her autobiography, Time Change, published by Simon & Schuster in nineteen eighty-one, which marked the beginning of her literary journey. Cooke later published Seeing New York in nineteen ninety-five, showcasing her passion for urban history.

In addition to her writing, she contributed to the Daily News as a newspaper columnist and shared her knowledge as a teacher at prestigious institutions such as Yale University and Sarah Lawrence College, as well as Birch Wathen, a private school in New York City.