A man living on a Trafford housing estate in Manchester is now the new King of Rwanda.
Bloody hell, that must have been a hell of a Wednesday morning.
Emmanuel Bushayija was named in a statement by Rwanda as the heir to the recently departed king, King Kigeli V, who passed away three months ago.
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King Kigeli V may have been the king, but he hadn't lived in the country for over 50 years, not since the country became a republic in 1961. People think that he died in poverty in the US. He named his nephew Emmanuel his heir in 2006.
Kigeli V in 1964. Credit: PA
Kigeli V in 1994 at the start of the mass genocide in Rwanda. Credit: PA
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King Kigeli V was exiled along with Emmanuel, his whole family and tens of thousands of people. Emmanuel lived in Uganda and Kenya before moving back to Rwanda in 94, the same year the Tutsis and Hutus became embroiled in mass genocide, but in 2000 he moved to the UK where he has been running a security company.
Boniface Benzinge, the Chancellor of The Rwandan Royal Council of Abiru, made a statement saying: "The Rwandan Royal Council of Abiru Hereby informs all Rwandans and friends of Rwanda that in keeping with the ancient custom, it has Acclaimed His Royal Highness Prince Emmanuel Bushayija as the Successor of His Late Majesty King Kigeri V Ndahindurwa, who passed away on October 16, 2016, in the United States.
"The Royal name of His Majesty Emmanuel Bushayija shall be His Majesty King Yuhi VI."
Since Rwanda is still a republic, it doesn't look likely that King Yuhi VI is going to be much more than king in name.
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This news comes hot on the heels of the story of the landscaper in Canada who was named the king of his tribe in Ghana. 32-year-old Eric Manu was shocked to be named the successor to his uncle by the community. Eric had met his wife and followed her back to Canada three years ago where they had a baby. He hadn't expected to be named the king of his tribe. The Akan tribe is 6000 and it's a big responsibility. He's moving back to Ghana to lead his tribe and hopes to bring some of the things he's learned in Canada back to his people. "For me to be an icon, people should look up to me, I think that it's a big responsibility for me, but I'm grateful for that because it's preparing me to be a mature man," he said. Sounds like he's got this!
It will be a bigger transition for his wife.
"The wife of a chief," Eric explained... "she also becomes a queen of the king, of the chief... So she becomes the mother of all mothers of the village."
Quite the responsibility.