Monarchy of Lesotho

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King of Lesotho
Morena a Lesotho
Coat of arms of Lesotho.svg
Coat of arms of Lesotho
Incumbent
King Letsie III at the Enthronement of Naruhito (1).jpg
Letsie III
since 7 February 1996
Details
Style His Majesty
Heir apparent Lerotholi Seeiso
First monarch Moshoeshoe I (as paramount chief)
Formation1822;203 years ago (1822)
ResidenceRoyal Palace, Maseru
Website https://theking.parliament.ls/

The monarchy of Lesotho is the form of government used by Lesotho (also known as Basutoland until 1966) by which a hereditary monarch reigns as the head of state, with their powers regulated by the Constitution. The monarch is styled as Marena; in Sotho language, Marena is the plural of the common noun Kings, where Morena is the singular for King.

Contents

The monarch since 7 February 1996 is King Letsie III, who ascended the throne on the death of King Moshoeshoe II, his father. It is the second reign of Letsie III; his first reign lasted from 12 November 1990 to 25 January 1995.

Succession

The succession to the throne of Lesotho is laid down in Chapter V of the Constitution, which reads that:

(1) The College of Chiefs may at any time designate, in accordance with the customary law of Lesotho, the person (or the persons, in order of prior right) who are entitled to succeed to the office of King upon the death of the holder of, or the occurrence of any vacancy in, that office and if on such death or vacancy, there is a person who has previously been designated in pursuance of this section and who is capable under the customary law of Lesotho of succeeding to that office, that person (or, if there is more than one such person, that one of them who has been designated as having the first right to succeed to the office) shall become King.
(2) If, on the death of the holder of, or the occurrence of any vacancy in, the office of King, there is no person who becomes King under subsection (1), the College of Chiefs shall, with all practical speed and in accordance with the customary law of Lesotho, proceed to designate a person to succeed to the office of King and the person so designated shall thereupon become King.

Compensation

The king is granted a privy purse amounting to 52,778 USD annually. [1]

List of kings

Kings / Paramount Chiefs of Lesotho / Basutoland (1822–1966)

Kings of Lesotho (1966–present)

NameLifespanReign startReign endNotesFamilyImage
Moshoeshoe II
(1st reign)		(1938-05-02)2 May 1938 – 15 January 1996(1996-01-15) (aged 57)4 October 196612 November 1990 [a]
(24 years, 39 days)		Son of Simon Seeiso GriffithHouse of Moshoeshoe Moshoeshoe II van Lesotho.jpg
Letsie III
(1st reign)		 (1963-07-17) 17 July 1963 (age 62)12 November 199025 January 1995 [b]
(4 years, 74 days)		Son of Moshoeshoe IIHouse of Moshoeshoe King Letsie III at the Enthronement of Naruhito (1).jpg
Moshoeshoe II
(2nd reign)		(1938-05-02)2 May 1938 – 15 January 1996(1996-01-15) (aged 57)25 January 199515 January 1996†
(355 days)		Son of Simon Seeiso GriffithHouse of Moshoeshoe Moshoeshoe II van Lesotho.jpg
Letsie III
(2nd reign)		 (1963-07-17) 17 July 1963 (age 62)7 February 1996Incumbent
(29 years, 182 days)		Son of Moshoeshoe IIHouse of Moshoeshoe King Letsie III at the Enthronement of Naruhito (1).jpg
Regent Head of State

Timeline

'Mamohato Bereng Seeiso'Mamohato Bereng SeeisoLetsie IIIMoshoeshoe II of LesothoMonarchy of Lesotho

Royal Standards

See also

Notes

  1. ↑ Deposed by the military government of General Justin Lekhanya.
  2. ↑ Abdicated in favor of his father, Moshoeshoe II.

References

  1. ↑ Ministry of Finance of the Kingdom of Lesotho. "BUDGET ESTIMATES BOOK FOR FINANCIAL YEAR 2018/2019" (PDF). www.finance.gov.ls.
  2. ↑ "Royal Deputy Heads of State in the 20th and 21st Century". Worldwide Guide to Women in Leadership. Retrieved 4 January 2016.
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