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Case file s621 · Egypt and Africa · 1996
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1996
Koning Moshoeshoe van Lesotho vertrekt van Schiphol, Bestanddeelnr 924-0658: Collectie / Archief : Fotocollectie Anefo Reportage / Serie : [ onbekend ] Beschrijving : Koning Moshoe
Koning Moshoeshoe van Lesotho vertrekt van Schiphol, Bestanddeelnr 924-0658. Bert Verhoeff / Anefo. CC0, Wikimedia Commons.
Died
15 January 1996
Place
Maseru, Lesotho · Lesotho
Field
Monarchy · Royalty and nobility on the timeline
Legal tradition
Lesotho constitutional monarchy; removal of the king under military rule
Historical event
Military rule in Lesotho and the return to elected government in 1993
Egypt and AfricaCrowns and successionPostwarAfrica

Lesotho's military ruler exiled King Moshoeshoe II and put his son on the throne, the son handed it back in 1995, and the father died in a car crash a year later

Constantine Bereng Seeiso was born on 2 May 1938. On 12 March 1960 he was installed as Paramount Chief of Basutoland as Moshoeshoe II, and at independence in 1966 he became king. In 1970, after the opposition won the election, Prime Minister Leabua Jonathan put him under house arrest, and he spent eight months in exile in the Netherlands while his wife, Queen Mamohato, acted as regent. He returned in December 1970 to a largely ceremonial role. Jonathan was overthrown in 1986, and the king regained power. In 1990 the military ruler Justin Lekhanya suspended his executive functions and forced him into exile in England. While he was abroad he was removed from the throne, and his eldest son became King Letsie III, pledging not to interfere in politics. Moshoeshoe returned to Lesotho in 1992. Elections in 1993 restored civilian government. On 25 January 1995 Moshoeshoe was restored to the throne, with the help of Letsie and of South Africa's president, Nelson Mandela. On 15 January 1996 he died when his car went off a mountain road near Maseru. He was 57. Police later reported that the driver had been under the influence of alcohol. Letsie became king again a month later, and he holds the throne in 2026†.

What the law took from it

A crown that can be moved from father to son by decree can be moved back, so the title follows whoever holds power, not the order of birth.

Sources
  1. sahistory.org.zaPress
  2. universalis.frPress
  3. Wikipedia (English)Encyclopedia

Cite as: celebrity.estate, “Lesotho's military ruler exiled King Moshoeshoe II and put his son on the throne, the son handed it back in 1995, and the father died in a car crash a year later,” story s621, https://www.celebrity.estate/moshoeshoe-ii-1996, updated 30 October 2026.

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Where this case sits

Egypt and AfricaCrowns and successionPostwarAfrica