Mswati III

Who is Mswati III?

Mswati III, born Makhosetive Dlamini on 19 April 1968 at Raleigh Fitkin Memorial Hospital in Manzini, is the reigning King of Eswatini, son of King Sobhuza II and Queen Ntfombi. Following his father's death in 1982 and a regency led by his mother, he was crowned King Mswati III in 1986 while still a teenager, becoming one of the youngest reigning monarchs in the world at the time. As Ngwenyama, he presides over Eswatini's system of traditional dual governance alongside the Ndlovukazi, the Queen Mother, and remains one of the world's last ruling absolute monarchs, appointing the prime minister and cabinet and holding significant authority over the country's parliament and courts. In 2018, on the fiftieth anniversary of independence, Mswati III issued a royal decree renaming the country from Swaziland to Eswatini, restoring the kingdom's pre-colonial Swazi name and asserting a distinct national identity separate from Switzerland, with which the former name was frequently confused internationally. He continues to preside over major national ceremonies, including the annual Incwala kingship ritual and the Umhlanga reed dance, which remain central to Swazi cultural and royal life.

Sources: Wikipedia, "Mswati III" · Britannica, "Mswati III"