Jovia Mutesi becomes queen of Busoga: photos and story of the first royal wedding in Uganda in more than 60 years

The wedding of king of Busoga with the Ugandan accountant Jovia Mutesi brought together African royalty this weekend in Bugembe, the capital of the Ugandan kingdom. It was the first royal wedding after that of the groom’s grandparents in the mid-1950s and the family wanted to celebrate in style, with a ceremony celebrated according to the Anglican rite at which the newlyweds arrived accompanied by an impressive procession and a reception gala held at Igenge Palace, the official residence of the King or Kyabazinga of Busoga.

About 2,000 guests went to Palazzo Igenge, including several African royals such as Queen Sylvia of Buganda and the Queen Mother of Toororepresentatives of the other two of the five kingdoms that make up the African state of Uganda.

The bride, very elegant with her sparkling tiara, wore a white Western-style wedding dress made by Ugandan fashion brand Hers, whose Instagram profile also shows the new queen of Buganda in a second black and white dress. Meanwhile, King William Gabula Nadope IV married in formal dress with a distinctive hat topped with a feather, but then changed into evening dress.

Instagram content

This content can also be viewed on the site it originates from.

Born in 1988, the current monarch or Kyabazinga of Busoga is the son of a former Ugandan tourism minister, Wilson Gabula Nadiope III, and grandson on the paternal side of the previous Kyabazinga between 1949 and 1955, when, after receiving a official visit from Queen Elizabeth II and her husband, the Duke of Edinburgh, he had been succeeded a year earlier by King Henry Wako Muloki.

In 1966, Ugandan President Milton Obote abolished the Busoga monarchy, but in the 1990s the throne was restored in the person of Henry Wako Muloki. Subsequently, in 2014, Busoga chiefs chose to crown the current King William Gabula as the new ruler, with a coronation ceremony attended by the Ugandan president. Now the Busoga have a queen again.

Uganda police officers patrol the streets as crowds gather ahead of the royal wedding of the Kyabazinga (King) of the Busoga Kingdom William Gabula Nadiope IV and the Inhebantu (Queen) Jovia Mutesi in Jinja on November 18, 2023. (Photo by BADRU KATUMBA / AFP) (Photo by BADRU KATUMBA/AFP via Getty Images)BADRU KATUMBA/Getty Images
The Inhebantu (Queen) Jovia Mutesi (C) walks towards the altar surrounded by family members during her royal wedding with the Kyabazinga (King) of the Busoga Kingdom William Gabula Nadiope IV at the Christ’s Cathedral Bugembe in Jinja on November 18, 2023. ( Photo by BADRU KATUMBA / AFP) (Photo by BADRU KATUMBA/AFP via Getty Images)BADRU KATUMBA/Getty Images
Flower girls arrive at the royal wedding of the Kyabazinga (King) of the Busoga Kingdom William Gabula Nadiope IV and the Inhebantu (Queen) Jovia Mutesi at the Christ’s Cathedral Bugembe in Jinja on November 18, 2023. (Photo by BADRU KATUMBA / AFP) (Photo by BADRU KATUMBA/AFP via Getty Images)BADRU KATUMBA/Getty Images
Traditional Ugandan musicians perform during the festivities following the royal wedding of the Kyabazinga (King) of the Busoga Kingdom William Gabula Nadiope IV and the Inhebantu (Queen) Jovia Mutesi at the Christ’s Cathedral Bugembe in Jinja on November 18, 2023. (Photo by BADRU KATUMBA / AFP) (Photo by BADRU KATUMBA/AFP via Getty Images)BADRU KATUMBA/Getty Images
The Kyabazinga (King) of the Busoga Kingdom William Gabula Nadiope IV (2nd R) and the Inhebantu (Queen) Jovia Mutesi (R) stand in the altar while posing for a photo with a delegation of members from the royal family of the Kingdom of Eswatini during their royal wedding at the Christ’s Cathedral Bugembe in Jinja on November 18, 2023. (Photo by BADRU KATUMBA / AFP) (Photo by BADRU KATUMBA/AFP via Getty Images)BADRU KATUMBA/Getty Images


Source: Vanity Fair

You may also like