Emmanuel Bushayija

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Yuhi VI
Yuhi VI of Rwanda (2017).jpg
Bushayija in 2017.
Titular King of Rwanda
Reign9 January 2017 – present
(proclaimed by the Royal Council of Abiru, titular king-in-exile)
Predecessor Kigeli V
BornEmmanuel Bushayija
(1960-12-20) 20 December 1960 (age 64)
Ruanda-Urundi
SpouseLilian[ citation needed ]
Issue Two sons and a daughter[ citation needed ]
FatherPrince William Bushayija

Emmanuel Bushayija (born 20 December 1960) is the claimant to the historical Kingdom of Rwanda, which was abolished in 1961. He was proclaimed the ceremonial successor to the royal title ( Mwami ) on 9 January 2017 under the reign name Yuhi VI by the Abiru, the privy council of the Rwandan monarchy. [1] He succeeded his late uncle King Kigeli V and is a grandson of King Yuhi V. [2]

Contents

Biography

He grew up in exile in Uganda, where he studied at Iganga Secondary School and worked for Pepsi Cola in Kampala.

He also lived in Kenya, working in the tourism industry, before returning to Rwanda in July 1994 before moving to the United Kingdom six years later.

The accession of Yuhi VI was made by proclamation of the Royal Council of Abiru, who are a group of elders and privy to the king's wishes as advisors. [3] According to custom, the Council of Abiru announces the king’s selection of successor from among his family members. [4] Bushayija, his nephew, was named as his successor. The announcement was made by Boniface Benzinge, chairman of the Royal Council of Abiru. [5] The announcement was criticised by some who disputed the validity of the succession. As far as the Kigali government is concerned there can be no new king because “Rwanda is a republic governed by a constitution and ceased to be a monarchy many years ago”. [6] [7]

He is a naturalised British citizen and lives currently in Sale, near Manchester in northwest England. [1] His wife, Lilian, is a local mental health support worker.

Achievements as King

Yuhi VI has been active in the Royal Commonwealth Society [8] and serves as the Chief Patron of The Crown Society. [9] He is regularly seen in European royal and aristocratic circles, and has conducted visits to strengthen ties with the royal houses of Albania, Austria, Portugal and Spain. [10] [11] A close relationship has developed with the House of Braganza, which was historically supportive of Kigeli V Ndahindurwa and played a key role in welcoming Yuhi VI into royal circles. [12] He is also a founding member of the Royal Club, an institution headquartered at Raffles The Palm Dubai under the patronage of several royal and imperial families to host cultural, social, academic and philanthrophic events to preserve centuries-old honourable traditions and to provide assistance to the developing world. [13] [14]

He attended an event in Manila, where he was feted as one of the laureates of the 2025 Sino-Phil Asia International Peace Awards in the field of humanitarianism. [15] Subsequently, a visit to Macau followed where he was the guest of honour at the signing ceremony for the Medical Simulation Training Centre Pilot Program, a partnership between the Faculty of Medicine at Macau University of Science and Technology, the Global Fair Pay Foundation, and The First Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University. [16] The Asia tour concluded in Hong Kong, where he was hosted by the Royal Commonwealth Society Hong Kong Branch which convened a white tie dinner in His Majesty's honour. [17] [18]

Honours

Other Dynastic

Ancestry

References

  1. 1 2 Frances Perraudin (January 12, 2017). "Rwanda's new king named – a father of two living on an estate near Manchester". The Guardian . Archived from the original on June 24, 2021. Retrieved March 6, 2017.
  2. Announcement of New Head of the Royal House Archived August 21, 2022, at the Wayback Machine , 9 January 2017.
  3. Society, The Crown. "The Crown Society". The Crown Society. Retrieved March 1, 2025.
  4. p.50. Adekunle, Julius O. 2007. Culture and customs of Rwanda. Westport, Conn: Greenwood Press.
  5. Adrian Blomfield (January 12, 2017). "Rwanda's new king is former Pepsi salesman residing in Cheshire". The Daily Telegraph . Archived from the original on June 21, 2018. Retrieved April 5, 2017.
  6. Iaccino, Ludovica (January 11, 2017). "Does Rwanda have a new king from the Pepsi empire? Family of late Kigeli V disputes succession". International Business Times UK. Retrieved March 8, 2025.
  7. "Fresh dispute over Rwandan king succession". The EastAfrican. July 28, 2020. Retrieved March 8, 2025.
  8. Administrator, King Yuhi VI. "Head of the Royal House of Rwanda joins local dignitaries for Remembrance Ceremony - H.M. Yuhi VI". royalhouseofrwanda.org. Retrieved February 18, 2025.
  9. Society, The Crown. "The Crown Society". The Crown Society. Retrieved February 18, 2025.
  10. Administrator, King Yuhi VI. "Visit with Royal, Imperial, and Noble Families of Austria-Hungary, Portugal, Albania, and Spain - H.M. Yuhi VI". royalhouseofrwanda.org. Retrieved February 18, 2025.
  11. "HRH Dom Duarte receives Keoua". Royal Family Hawaii. Retrieved March 1, 2025.
  12. Administrator, King Yuhi VI. "Visit to Casale Monferrato - H.M. Yuhi VI". royalhouseofrwanda.org. Retrieved February 18, 2025.
  13. "History". epghotelsresorts.com. Retrieved March 2, 2025.
  14. "EPG - Hotels and resorts". epghotelsresorts.com. Retrieved March 2, 2025.
  15. "Sino-Phil Asia Awards honour peace champions from around the world". Macau Business. February 7, 2025. Retrieved February 18, 2025.
  16. "Macau University Of Science And Technology - MUST News". www.must.edu.mo. Retrieved February 18, 2025.
  17. "Rwandan king to be feted at 'Intimate formal high table dinner' hosted in part by SaiKunger". SAI KUNG BUZZ. January 2, 2025. Retrieved February 18, 2025.
  18. "Royal Commonwealth Society Hong Kong Branch on LinkedIn: "🌟 A heartfelt thank you to everyone who attended our White Tie Royal…". www.linkedin.com. Retrieved March 1, 2025.
  19. "The Order of the Pearl". ROYAL SULTANATE OF SULU AND NORTH BORNEO. Retrieved December 19, 2024.
  20. "Genealogy". Archived from the original on November 28, 2016. Retrieved December 8, 2017.
Emmanuel Bushayija
House of Ndahinduraa
Born: 20 December 1960
Titles in pretence
Preceded by TITULAR 
King of Rwanda
9 January 2017 – present
Reason for succession failure:
Monarchy dismantled in 1962, coup d'etat
Succeeded by
Incumbent