The story of the exile Burundian Princess
Born in Bujumbura, Burundi in November 30th 1951 to HRH Prince Ignace Kamatari and Princess Agrippine. Her father was the younger brother to the deposed and exiled king HM king Mwabutsa IV .
From her birth until her uncle and the entire royal family's exile, Her Highness began her education in Burundi. During Burundi's colonized era under Germany then after World War 1 under Belgium, tribal tensions were boiling and after the former Kingdom gain its independence the tensions heightened leading to a coup d'etat and the self impose exile of the king in 1965.
Even though the king was exiled he was officially overthrown and deposed in a second coup d'état and brought his son to power as King Ntare V on July 8th 1966. The monarchy was restored for a while before being overthrown again for the last time in 1972 and according to reports Ntare V was assassinated.
During that time Her Highness was still in Burundi until 1970 when her father Prince Ignace was assassinated and she fled to Paris.
In Paris she was scouted by model agents and from there began a long successful career in modeling and fashion. Known for signature short white hair, Her Highness in 2005 was named the ambassador of french fashion house Guerlain, she is also a writer, philanthropist, and president aspirant.
In 2012, there was a court case brought to the Swiss courts about where the body of the exile king Mwabutsa IV were to be exhumed from their burial site in Switzerland with demands to be repatriated to Burundi for a state funeral. The princess rallied for her uncle's remains to stay in Switzerland and her cousin the only living child of the late king and now head of the royal family HH Crown Princess Rosa Paula Iribagiza's wishes to bring it back to Burundi. After a legal battle, however, the remains were re-interred in Switzerland in 2016 in accordance with his family's wishes.
Her Highness is married with two children and has two other children from previous relationships.
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| Photo Credit: Facebook/ Princesse Esther Kamathari |
From her birth until her uncle and the entire royal family's exile, Her Highness began her education in Burundi. During Burundi's colonized era under Germany then after World War 1 under Belgium, tribal tensions were boiling and after the former Kingdom gain its independence the tensions heightened leading to a coup d'etat and the self impose exile of the king in 1965.
Even though the king was exiled he was officially overthrown and deposed in a second coup d'état and brought his son to power as King Ntare V on July 8th 1966. The monarchy was restored for a while before being overthrown again for the last time in 1972 and according to reports Ntare V was assassinated.
During that time Her Highness was still in Burundi until 1970 when her father Prince Ignace was assassinated and she fled to Paris.
In Paris she was scouted by model agents and from there began a long successful career in modeling and fashion. Known for signature short white hair, Her Highness in 2005 was named the ambassador of french fashion house Guerlain, she is also a writer, philanthropist, and president aspirant.
In 2012, there was a court case brought to the Swiss courts about where the body of the exile king Mwabutsa IV were to be exhumed from their burial site in Switzerland with demands to be repatriated to Burundi for a state funeral. The princess rallied for her uncle's remains to stay in Switzerland and her cousin the only living child of the late king and now head of the royal family HH Crown Princess Rosa Paula Iribagiza's wishes to bring it back to Burundi. After a legal battle, however, the remains were re-interred in Switzerland in 2016 in accordance with his family's wishes.
Her Highness is married with two children and has two other children from previous relationships.
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