Letsie III (born Seeiso Bereng; 17 July 1963) is

King of Lesotho This article list the monarchs (''Marena'') of Lesotho (also known as Basutoland until 1966). Succession The Succession to the throne of Lesotho is laid down in Chapter V of the African kingdom's constitution. The current King is Letsie III. ...

. He succeeded his father,

Moshoeshoe II Moshoeshoe II (2 May 1938 – 15 January 1996), previously known as Constantine Bereng Seeiso, was the Paramount Chief of Basutoland, succeeding paramount chief Seeiso from 1960 until the country gained full independence from Britain in 1966. ...

, who was forced into exile in 1990. His father was briefly restored in 1995 but died in a car crash in early 1996, and Letsie became king again. As a

constitutional monarch A constitutional monarchy, parliamentary monarchy, or democratic monarchy is a form of monarchy in which the monarch exercises their authority in accordance with a constitution and is not alone in decision making. Constitutional monarchies dif ...

, most of King Letsie's duties as monarch of Lesotho are ceremonial. In 2000, he declared HIV/AIDS in Lesotho to be a natural disaster, prompting immediate national and international response to the epidemic.

Biography

Letsie III was born on 17 July 1963 at Scott Hospital Morija at Morija. He was educated in the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and ...

Ampleforth College Ampleforth College is a co-educational independent day and boarding school in the English public school tradition located in the village of Ampleforth, North Yorkshire, England. It opened in 1802 as a boys' school, it is situated in the groun ...

. From there, he went on to study at the

National University of Lesotho The National University of Lesotho, the main and oldest university in Lesotho, is located in Roma, southeast of Maseru, the capital of Lesotho. The Roma valley is broad and is surrounded by a barrier of rugged mountains which provides magnific ...

, where he graduated with a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Law. He then went on to study at the

University of Bristol , mottoeng = earningpromotes one's innate power (from Horace, ''Ode 4.4'') , established = 1595 – Merchant Venturers School1876 – University College, Bristol1909 – received royal charter , type ...

(Diploma in English Legal Studies, 1986),

Wolfson College, Cambridge Wolfson College () is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge in Cambridge, England. The majority of students at the college are postgraduates. The college also admits "mature" undergraduates (aged 21 and above), with around ...

(Development Studies, 1989), and

Wye College bio sciences -> social sciences -> business school Pictures of OLT, Old Hall,Cloister, Parlour --> The College of St Gregory and St Martin at Wye, commonly known as Wye College, was an education and research institution in the village of Wye ...

(Agricultural Economics). He completed his studies in 1989, when he returned to

Lesotho Lesotho ( ), officially the Kingdom of Lesotho, is a country landlocked as an enclave in South Africa. It is situated in the Maloti Mountains and contains the highest mountains in Southern Africa. It has an area of over and has a population ...

. He was installed as the Principal Chief of

Matsieng Matsieng is a Setswana traditional music trio formed in 2005 in Gaborone, Botswana. They burst into the scene with their 2005 festive season album, Semakaleng. Known for their explicit lyrics, the trio has toured Botswana, Malaysia and South Afr ...

on 16 December 1989. His coronation took place on 31 October 1997 at

Setsoto Stadium The Setsoto Stadium is a multi-purpose stadium in Maseru, Lesotho. It is currently used mostly for football matches. The stadium holds 20,000. It is currently the home ground of the Lesotho national football team. It has been renovated and enla ...

King Charles III Charles III (Charles Philip Arthur George; born 14 November 1948) is King of the United Kingdom and the 14 other Commonwealth realms. He was the longest-serving heir apparent and Prince of Wales and, at age 73, became the oldest person to a ...

(then Charles, Prince of Wales) attended the ceremony. On 1 December 2016, in

Rome , established_title = Founded , established_date = 753 BC , founder = King Romulus ( legendary) , image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg , map_caption ...

, King Letsie III was appointed as the

Food and Agriculture Organization The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO)french: link=no, Organisation des Nations unies pour l'alimentation et l'agriculture; it, Organizzazione delle Nazioni Unite per l'Alimentazione e l'Agricoltura is an intern ...

's newest Special Ambassador for Nutrition by the Organization's Director-General,

José Graziano da Silva José Graziano da Silva (born November 17, 1949) is a Brazilian American agronomist and writer. As a scholar, he has authored several books about the problems of agriculture in Brazil. Between 2003 and 2004, Graziano served in the Luiz Inácio L ...

Personal life

Marriage and children

King Letsie married in 2000 to Karabo Motšoeneng, with whom he has two daughters and one son: * Princess Mary Senate Mohato Seeiso, born 7 October 2001 at Maseru Private Hospital in

Maseru Maseru is the capital and largest city of Lesotho. It is also the capital of the Maseru District. Located on the Caledon River, Maseru lies directly on the Lesotho–South Africa border. Maseru had a population of 330,760 in the 2016 census. The ...

. * Princess 'Maseeiso Mohato Seeiso, born 20 November 2004 in

. * Prince Lerotholi David Mohato Bereng Seeiso, born 18 April 2007 in

Religion

King Letsie is a

Catholic The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

, the only such monarch of an African nation. He is a member of the Sacred Military Constantinian Order of St George and has been credited with promoting the principles of his Catholic faith in Lesotho.

Patronages

* Patron of the Prince Mohato Award (Khau ea Khosana Mohato).

Honours

National

* : Grand Master of the

Most Dignified Order of Moshoeshoe Most or Möst or ''variation'', may refer to: Places * Most, Kardzhali Province, a village in Bulgaria * Most (city), a city in the Czech Republic ** Most District, a district surrounding the city ** Most Basin, a lowland named after the city ** ...

. * : Grand Master of the

Most Courteous Order of Lesotho The Most Courteous Order of Lesotho is the highest national order in the honours system of Lesotho. It was founded by King Moshoeshoe II of Lesotho in 1972, in three grades. Insignia The original ribbon for the order was predominantly dark blue, ...

. * : Grand Master of the

Most Meritorious Order of Mohlomi Most or Möst or ''variation'', may refer to: Places * Most, Kardzhali Province, a village in Bulgaria * Most (city), a city in the Czech Republic ** Most District, a district surrounding the city ** Most Basin, a lowland named after the city ** ...

. * : Grand Master of the

Most Loyal Order of Ramatseatsane Most or Möst or ''variation'', may refer to: Places * Most, Kardzhali Province, a village in Bulgaria * Most (city), a city in the Czech Republic ** Most District, a district surrounding the city ** Most Basin, a lowland named after the city ** ...

. * : Outstanding Service Medal.

Foreign

* : ** Two Sicilian Royal Family: Bailiff Knight Grand Cross of Justice of the Two Sicilian Royal Sacred Military Constantinian Order of Saint George (8 October 2013).

Ancestry

References

External links

Official Biography of King Letsie III
, - {{DEFAULTSORT:Letsie III of Lesotho 1963 births Living people National University of Lesotho alumni Alumni of the University of Bristol Alumni of Wolfson College, Cambridge Alumni of Wye College 20th-century Christians 20th-century monarchs in Africa 21st-century monarchs in Africa 21st-century Christians House of Moshesh Kings of Lesotho Christian monarchs Lesotho Christians South African Christians People educated at Ampleforth College Monarchies of South Africa People from Maseru District