From $1.6 mn watch to $30 mn private jet on birthday: The luxurious lifestyle of King Mswati III, the monarch of 'poor' African country eSwatini
King Mswati III is the monarch of the country which recently changed its name from Swaziland to eSwatini. This is a landlocked country, smaller than the US state of New Jersey. The name change happened on King's 50th birthday which was on April 19.
Swaziland which is named now eSwatini is assumed to be a poor country with the highest rate of HIV infection in the world. 26% of the adult population is infected with HIV.
However, the king of this impoverished country wore a watch worth US$1.6 million and wore a suit beaded with diamonds weighing 6 kg to his 50th birthday party organised by his statesman.
According to a charitable organisation called Oxfam, Swaziland or eSwatini is an unequal country in the world. Reports state that the King purchased his second private jet plane a day before his birthday. It cost him US$30 million after having VIP upgrades.
The luxurious watch that he wore on his birthday was a Jacobs & Co Grand Baguette timepiece. This watch like other Jacobs & Co watch is polished 18K white gold set with 360 baguette diamonds 13.20ct. The King has 13 palaces and BMW and Mercedes cars.
In eSwatini 1.1 million subjects live in poverty with incomes less than US$2 per day.
According to Amnesty International 2017 report, two-thirds of the people in Swaziland live below the poverty line and inadequate medical care. It reported chronic malnutrition affected 26 percent of all children in Swaziland aged under five.
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First published: 3 May 2018, 17:29 IST
