Letsie III
Letsie III | |||||
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King of Lesotho | |||||
Reign | 7 February 1996 – present | ||||
Coronation | 31 October 1997 | ||||
Predecessor | Mamohato (Regent) Moshoeshoe II | ||||
Heir apparent | Lerotholi Seeiso | ||||
Prime Ministers | |||||
Reign | 12 November 1990 – 25 January 1995 | ||||
Prime Ministers | |||||
Born | Scott Hospital, Morija, Basutoland (now Lesotho) | 17 July 1963||||
Spouse | |||||
Issue Detail | Senate Seeiso 'Maseeiso Lerotholi Seeiso | ||||
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House | House of Moshesh | ||||
Father | Moshoeshoe II | ||||
Mother | Mamohato | ||||
Religion | Roman Catholicism |
Royal family of Lesotho |
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Letsie III (born David Mohato Bereng Seeiso; 17 July 1963) is the current king of Lesotho. He succeeded his father, Moshoeshoe II, when the latter was forced into exile in 1990. His father was briefly restored in 1995 but soon died in a car crash in early 1996, and Letsie became king again. As a constitutional monarch, most of King Letsie's duties as monarch of Lesotho are ceremonial.[1] In 2000, he declared HIV/AIDS in Lesotho to be a natural disaster, prompting immediate national and international response to the epidemic.[2]
Biography
He was educated in the United Kingdom at Ampleforth College.[3] From there he went on to study at the National University of Lesotho where he graduated with a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Law. He then went on to study at the University of Bristol (Diploma in English Legal Studies, 1986), Wolfson College, Cambridge (Development Studies, 1989), and Wye College (Agricultural Economics). He completed his studies in 1989, when he returned to Lesotho.[4]
He was installed as the Principal Chief of Matsieng on 16 December 1989.
His coronation took place on 31 October 1997 at Setsoto Stadium. Charles, Prince of Wales attended the ceremony.[5]
On 1 December 2016, in Rome, King Letsie III was appointed as FAO’s newest Special Ambassador for Nutrition by the Organization’s Director-General, José Graziano da Silva.[6]
Styles of King Letsie III of Lesotho | |
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File:Coats of arms of Lesotho.svg | |
Reference style | His Majesty |
Spoken style | Your Majesty |
Alternative style | Sir |
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.
- Princess 'Maseeiso, born 20 November 2004.
- Prince Lerotholi David Mohato Bereng Seeiso, born 18 April 2007.
Patronages
- Patron of the Prince Mohato Award (Khau ea Khosana Mohato).
Honours
National honours
Lesotho : Grand Master of the Most Dignified Order of Moshoeshoe.[7]
Lesotho : Grand Master of the Most Courteous Order of Lesotho.[7]
Lesotho : Grand Master of the Most Meritorious Order of Mohlomi.[7]
Lesotho : Grand Master of the Most Loyal Order of Ramatseatsane.[8]
Lesotho : Outstanding Service Medal.[7][9]
Foreign honours
Italy :
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).[10]
Ancestry
Family of Letsie III | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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References
- ^ "Lesotho profile". BBC News. Retrieved 14 November 2012.
- ^ National AIDS Commission, Lesotho. COORDINATION FRAMEWORK FOR THE NATIONAL RESPONSE TO HIV AND AIDS. Publication. 2007. Accessed November 25, 2017. http://www.ilo.org/wcmsp5/groups/public/---ed_protect/---protrav/---ilo_aids/documents/legaldocument/wcms_126753.pdf.
- ^ Soszynski, Henry. "LESOTHO". members.iinet.net.au. Retrieved 4 June 2017.
- ^ "His Majesty King Letsie III". Embassy of the People's Republic of China in the Kingdom of Lesotho. Retrieved 14 November 2012.
- ^ País, Ediciones El (1 November 1997). "LA CORONACIÓN DE LETSIE III". Retrieved 4 June 2017.
- ^ "FAO - Noticias: King Letsie III of Lesotho appointed FAO's newest Special Ambassador for Nutrition". www.fao.org. Retrieved 4 June 2017.
- ^ a b c d "Televisión Camagüey, Cuba". Televisión Camagüey, Cuba. Retrieved 4 June 2017.
- ^ "Kingdom of Lesotho". Retrieved 4 June 2017.
- ^ "Outstanding Service Medal". Retrieved 4 June 2017.
- ^ "Catholic King Letsie III of Lesotho invested into the Constantinian Order - Sacred Military Constantinian Order of St. George". 8 October 2013. Retrieved 4 June 2017.
External links
- Use dmy dates from January 2012
- 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 Roman Catholics
- 20th-century monarchs in Africa
- 21st-century monarchs in Africa
- 21st-century Roman Catholics
- House of Moshesh
- Kings of Lesotho
- Lesotho Roman Catholics
- South African Roman Catholics
- People educated at Ampleforth College
- Roman Catholic monarchs
- Monarchies of South Africa
- People from Maseru District
- Bailiffs Grand Cross of the Sacred Military Constantinian Order of Saint George