Former king Gyanendra Shah is scheduled to embark on European tour on Monday evening.

Shah will leave for Doha on a Qatar Airways flight at 7:30 pm Monday on his way to France, it is learnt. He will also visit England, Denmark and Norway.

Though the ex-king is said to traveling to Europe on a private trip, he is expected to engage in political lobbying during his stay.

Shah is setting out for foreign trip at a time when his recent statement that the then seven parties had agreed to retain monarchy has drawn sharp reactions from the parties.

Reacting to his remarks, Prime Minister Baburam Bhattarai warned that the ex-king would be deprived of state facilities if did not stop his "political activities". nepalnews.com