1. The King of Swaziland, Mswati III, has ruled the country since 1986.
2. He was the son of one of the younger wives of his predecessor, Sobhuza II, and from 1983-86 attended Sherborne School in Dorset.
3. When a king of Swaziland dies, his successor is chosen by a traditional council. The new king’s mother is the “Great Wife” and “She-Elephant”.
4. The council will also have chosen who his first two wives should be.
5. The king cannot be succeeded by a son of either of the wives chosen for him, so he is never succeeded by his eldest son.
6. The king is expected to marry one woman from each of the country’s 10 clans to cement unity.
7. Mswati III has 10 wives, three wives who have left him, one wife who died, one fiancée and 33 children.
8. King Sobhuza II had 70 wives, 201 children and over 1,000 grandchildren.
9. Gambia is the only country in mainland Africa that is smaller than Swaziland.
10. Married women in Swaziland may not sign contracts unless this is agreed prenuptially.