King Gyanendra's chief secretary Pasupati Bhakta Maharjan, who carries the noble title 'Mir Subba', is regarded in the palace as the eyes and ears of the king. Serving nearly three generations of the royal family, Maharjan has proved to be staunchly loyal to the royals. He has even made his son, daughter and niece enter the royal service. 'He never conveys any bad news to the king,' says a former prime minister. Maharjan has a significant presence inside the palace from where he oversees the country's foreign affairs and policies. He started his royal service in the time of King Mahendra and consolidated his influence during King Birendra's reign. After the royal massacre, he was the first person to inform Prime Minister GP Koirala that the king had 'a heart attack'. He was also credited for smoothly conducting the announcements of the new kings, first Dipendra and then Gyanendra. His loyalty and power even led the palace to extend his service while that of powerful royalist Chiran Sumshere Thapa was terminated. Thapa, in turn, was the person who informed the world how the massacre was caused by 'the accidental discharge of an automatic weapon'. Maharjan is probably the only confidante of the late King Birendra to be included in the inner circle of the new ruler. On the king's orders Maharjan has to speak out harshly when the situation demands it such as when he ordered the resignation of National Assembly member Dipta Prakash Shah three years ago, which marked the beginning of palace interference in the independence of parliament. Maharjan is, today, vested with more powers than even such staunch royalists as Sachit Shumshere Rana, Bharat Keshar Singh and Sharad Chandra Shah. According to one palace official, even Foreign Minister Ramesh Nath Pandey reports to him.