Letsie III


Letsie III is King of Lesotho. He succeeded his father, Bereng Seeiso Moshoeshoe II, who was forced into exile in 1990. His father was briefly restored in 1995 but died in a car crash in early 1996, so Letsie succeeded him again for a second reign. As a constitutional monarch, 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 the Scott Hospital in Morija, a town south of the capital Maseru. He was educated in the United Kingdom at Ampleforth College. 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, Wolfson College, Cambridge, and Wye College. He completed his studies in 1989, when he returned to Lesotho.
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.
On 1 December 2016, in Rome, King Letsie III was appointed as the Food and Agriculture Organization's newest Special Ambassador for Nutrition by the Organization's Director-General, José Graziano da Silva.

Personal life

Marriage and children

In 2000, King Letsie married Karabo Motšoeneng, with whom he has two daughters and one son:
King Letsie III is one of only two Catholic sovereigns of non-European lineage anywhere in the world, the other being the Māori queen Nga wai hono i te po. He is a member of the Sacred Military Constantinian Order of Saint George and has been credited with promoting the principles of his Catholic faith in Lesotho.

Patronages

  • Patron of the Prince Mohato Award.
Chancellor de l'Université Nationale du Lesotho

Honours

National