Nepal's Crown Prince Dipendra was reported to have killed the king, queen and five senior members of the royal family on Friday night before fatally shooting himself.

The crown prince died in hospital early on Saturday after being operated on for a self-inflicted gunshot wound.

The dead included king Birendra, queen Aishwarya, the king's daughter princess Sruti, his youngest son prince Narajan, the king's sisters princess Shrada and princess Shanti and his brother-in-law Kuma Khadga.

King Birendra, born on December 6, 1945, came to the throne of the Himalayan kingdom in 1972. He ceded absolute power in 1990 in favor of a constitutional monarchy.

There was widespread speculation that the massacre at the royal palace stemmed from a family feud over the 30-year old prince's choice of a bride.

Political analysts believe that the death of the Nepalese king is going to have a negative effect on the political situation in that country. Landlocked Nepal, with a population of about 22 million, is one of the world's poorest countries.

The intense political rivalry between the ruling Congress Party and the United Marxist-Leninist Party (UMLP) in the past decade has created political instability in Nepal. Presently, the Nepalese prime minister, who belongs to the ruling Congress Party, is under heavy pressure from the opposition parties to resign from office.

Although king Birendra gave his green light to the formation of a constitutional monarchy, the extremist faction of the UMLP is still insisting on the abolition of monarchy in that country.

The analysts believe that the death of Nepal's king will escalate power struggle between Congress Party and the UMLP. Considering the leanings of these two parties toward India and China, New Delhi and Beijing are also expected to increase their efforts to strengthen their position and promote their influence in Nepal.