She is the second daughter of The Rt. Honorary Pashupati Shamsher Jang Bahadur Rana and Rani Usha Raje Scindia, daughter of George Jivajirao Scindia, of the Gwalior royal family. By her father, Devyani is a member of the Rana dynasty.
Her mother Usha Raje Scindia, is a daughter of George Jivajirao Scindia, Maharaja of Gwalior.
She attended Welham Girl"s High School, Dehradun, Mayo College Girls School, Ajmer. Lady Shriram College, Delhi and Kathmandu University (Master of Arts).
Her paternal great-grandfather was Mohan Shamsher Jang Bahadur Rana. Dipendra was in England between 1987 and 1990, and his local guardian was Baronet Jeremy Bagge, whose son Charles was also at Eton. Dipendra and Devyani met at the Bagges" Norfolk home, and Dipendra quickly fell in love with her and asked to marry him.
However, Dipendra"s parents, and especially his mother Aishwarya Rajya Laxmi Devi Shah (born Rana), opposed the marriage.
According to published reports, the refusal of Dipendra"s parents to consent to this marriage was the cause of the massacre of the royal family in Nepal. Devyani Rana fled to India immediately after the royal massacre to escape media attention.
In 2004, Rana obtained a second Masters Degree from the London School of Economics. She currently works for the United Nations Development Programme.
Pashupati Shumsher Jang Bahadur Rana is the president of the Rastriya Prajatantra Party (RPP), one of the democratic political parties of Nepal.
