Letsie III of Lesotho


Letsie III is the 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. In 2000, he declared HIV/AIDS in Lesotho to be a natural disaster, prompting immediate national and international response to the epidemic.

Biography

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 FAO’s newest Special Ambassador for Nutrition by the Organization’s Director-General, José Graziano da Silva.

Marriage and children

King Letsie married in 2000 to Karabo Motšoeneng, with whom he has two daughters and one son:

National