'Masenate Mohato Seeiso

Masenate Mohato Seeiso (born Anna Karabo Motšoeneng, June 2, 1976) is Queen of Lesotho as the wife of King Letsie III of Lesotho. She was the first commoner in modern history to marry into the royal family of Lesotho. Since becoming queen, she has become the patron of several charities and has worked to promote the work of projects related to HIV/AIDS.

Early life Queen 'Masenate Mohato Seeiso was born Anna Karabo Motšoeneng at Maluti Adventist Hospital in Mapoteng in the Berea District, the eldest daughter of the five children of Thekiso Motšoeneng and his wife 'Makarabo. She was christened Anna in the Roman Catholic Church. In 1990 Queen 'Masenate enrolled at the Machabeng International College in Maseru and studied there until 1996, completing an International General Certificate for Secondary Education and an International Baccalaureate Diploma. While attending college, she took party in community service with the Angela School for the Disabled and Centre for the Blind. In 1997 she attended the National University of Lesotho (NUL) and where she studied for a Bachelor of Science degree; her studies were interrupted by her relationship with King Letsie III of Lesotho.

She is a French language learner at the Alliance Française.

Relationship with Letsie III of Lesotho Queen 'Masenate first met King Letsie III of Lesotho in 1996.

Engagement and marriage In October 1999, two years into her studies at the National University of Lesotho, she became engaged to King Letsie III. They were married on February 18, 2000, in Maseru. He was the only unmarried King in Africa. The ceremony was conducted in the Setsoto Stadium by Archbishop Bernard Mohlalisi, with 40,000 people present including dignitaries such as Nelson Mandela, Festus Mogae, Bakili Muluzi and Charles III, then Prince of Wales. This marked the first time in the history of modern Lesotho where a royal had married a commoner.

Motherhood and children Queen 'Masenate and King Letsie have three children; Princess Senate (b. 7 October 2001), Princess 'Maseeiso (b. 20 November 2004), and Prince Lerotholi (b. 18 April 2007), They were born in a Private Hospital.

Public health work She has a strong interest in enabling the work undertaken with HIV/AIDS patients to be spoken of publicly, and has been involved in several awareness programmes in Lesotho. Queen 'Masenate has also undertaken visits to a variety of AIDS projects around the country, including orphanages. She also holds a First Aid Certificate.