—speaks to the Lesotho Times in rare interview
AS Her Majesty Queen ‘Masenate Mohato Seeiso prepares to celebrate her 49th birthday on Monday, she has granted Basotho an exclusive look into her life and work.
In an exclusive interview with the Lesotho Times’ Deputy Editor, Bongiwe Zihlangu, Queen ‘Masenate spoke candidly about her deep commitment to philanthropy, her dedication to living a healthy lifestyle, and the central role that her faith in God and family play in her life.
The Queen welcomed the Lesotho Times (LT) into her palace at Matsieng in the outskirts of Maseru on Tuesday, providing a rare glimpse into the compassionate, wise, and God-fearing woman she is.
She discussed at length her passion for her various charitable initiatives, her love of an active lifestyle, and the profound importance of her Christian beliefs and close-knit family.
This intimate interview offers the public a unique opportunity to better understand the heart and motivations of Lesotho’s beloved monarch as she marks another year of her vibrant life.
Excerpts:
LT: Your Majesty, the Lesotho Times is honoured to have the rare opportunity to interview you ahead of your 49th birthday on 2 June 2025. This is a great opportunity for which we are grateful. Every year when we make the Queen’s Birthday Supplement, we use material that is readily available, either from file stories or the internet. But we never get to talk to you, to give our stories a real feel of you.
How would you describe yourself? Your personality, likes, and dislikes?
Her Majesty: Even though it was short notice, I said to myself, let me do this. But next time at least give me more time (smiles).
Well, I would say I’m a very, very conservative person. I’m an introvert definitely! This is why I know that people who come across me see me as this very quiet person. But that’s who I am. But once you start talking to me I open up and I talk. But I wouldn’t say I’m a chatterbox or anything like that. I’ve always been very reserved, speak when I am spoken to. If not, I don’t talk. That’s how I’ve always been.
So, that’s me. And I love reading a lot when I am not on duty. It can be fiction or no-fiction. I just love reading. Hiking is of course my passion, that’s what I like doing just to get my body moving. I love just spending time with my family. That’s what I would do when I am not on duty.
Do I dislike anything? I don’t think so. I can’t really put my finger on anything I dislike. (laughs heartily). Maybe I don’t like… First of all, I don’t even drink. I don’t like alcohol. I don’t like people who like alcohol. I don’t like rowdy people. But I wouldn’t say those are dislikes. That’s why I say I can’t really put my finger on what it is that I don’t like. Yeah…
LT: You are known to be a very health-conscious person who loves the gym, encourages healthy eating, and takes part in challenging exercises like the 116 km Moshoeshoe Walk annually.
What are the benefits of staying healthy, and how has this routine helped improve your quality of life?
Her Majesty: Well, as you know, they always says movement is medicine. When you incorporate some kind of movement, it can be gym, it can be any kind of activity, that certainly reduces your visits to doctors and it keeps you in shape when you do some form of activity. Just to get the body moving. Of course, there are some diseases which will creep in there even if you are a health addict. But I think it helps when your body is fit as you are able to recover quickly if you have to go through some serious medical challenges.
This is why I love exercise because with my kind of work, which is stressful, I think it just reduces the stress for me. It keeps me grounded; it keeps me sane because that movement gets the good hormones going. So, that’s why I think it’s important for me and I have certainly benefitted from working out for my overall health. And I don’t think I can ever stop unless I have a really, really major medical challenge that just hinders me from going on with some form of exercise.
LT: What are the core values that you live by, and that you would never compromise under any circumstance?
Her Majesty: There are so many core values, but you will really have to narrow them down. For me it is definitely family time. I can never compromise family time. It is so important to have family time and to have family because you know that’s where everyone belongs to. When you know you have family to go back to, it gives you some kind of comfort. You know that if you have had a stressful day or things didn’t go right, you will always have your family to go back to. That’s where you find the love and the nurturing. So, for me it is family. That’s where you get the love, it just oozes. So, that would be the first one.
The second one, of course we’ve just spoken about it: health and fitness. As I said, it’s my therapy and I can’t do without it. I know that within the family they think I do too much; but I need it. I need to make time for exercise, so that I can operate in a functional way. Otherwise, I think everything would just fall apart if I’m not in a good space like that (chuckles).
Growth is also one. I think it’s important that we just allow ourselves to keep growing, no matter what kind of job one does. When I am with people, I should just allow myself to grow and learn new things. Another core value would be wisdom because when you are wise, you are able to make better decisions. You can make better judgments and are able to have a perspective on things if you have that wisdom in you. Those are the things I cannot do without. And I allow myself to have an open heart and mind; I just take it in, learn and become wiser. That’s definitely it! It’s a journey. Yes, it is a journey.
LT: You have been actively involved in several philanthropic projects in Lesotho, with a particular focus on the Hlokomela Banana Initiative, which provides free sanitary towels to school-aged girls. You also support various charities and causes, including the Lesotho Girl Guides Association and Machabeng International College.
Additionally, you advocate for improving the lives of people with disabilities. Please share with us why you are so passionate about these projects and their significance in your life.
Her Majesty: First of all, I am a very disciplined person and if I do something, I want to do it and pursue the task to the very end. Being patron for some of these organisations, when I am asked to be, I don’t want it to be just on paper. I need to be actively involved, to lend my voice to make sure that there’s an impact that’s being made. So, whenever I do my work, it be with the girls, Hlokomela Banana or people with disabilities and all these other organisations, I just want to put my all into it because I want to see change, to see people uplifted and their livelihoods changed. I don’t think it would do me justice if I just do something for the sake of doing it. I love to see the results and the impact it has had on people. It is also very rewarding at the end of the day.
LT: You are a devout Catholic and an ardent churchgoer. You also enjoy singing hymns, as seen in videos shared across various social media platforms. From an outside perspective, the conclusion made by the public is that God is the centre of your life. Tell us about your relationship with God and what it means to you and why it is important to align yourself with Him.
Her Majesty: (chuckles) First of all I wouldn’t understand anyone who does not have a relationship with God because even the Bible says apart from Him, we can do nothing. So, for me, my God, as you rightly said, is the centre of my life. I draw from scriptures, knowing that God is my everything. I cannot do without Him. I need Him in my life to guide me. Again, everything that I do, I don’t do it by my own understanding. I could say it’s all me. But I have to give reverence to God because it is only Him who can do it for us. And me being out there worshipping God, it’s just who I am, I cannot hide it. I need to get out there and praise God through song and prayer. Once you have a relationship with God, when you have struggles or challenges, you do know that your God will always be there for you. He will never forsake you. And I cannot look to man and the things around me but to God. That is why I wouldn’t understand anyone who does not have that deep relationship with God.
