Intelligent, eloquent, elegant, and duty-bound, Elizabeth Bagaaya Nyabongo of Toro (born c. 1940) successfully revived Uganda's tarnished international image during her tenure as roving ambassador (1971-1973), minister of foreign affairs (February-November 1974), and United Nations ambassador (1986-1988).

The daughter of the Omukama (King) George D. Rukiidi III of Toro (1924-1965), Bagaaya was born between the late 1930s and early 1940s in Kabalole, the capital of Toro in western Uganda. Toro became an independent state in the 18th century when it seceded from the ancient and famous empire of Bunyoro-Kitara, which covered parts of present-day Burundi, Rwanda, Tanzania, Zaire, and Uganda. Toro lost its kingdom status in 1967 when Milton A. Obote's government (1962-1971) abolished monarchs in Uganda.

As her mother (Lady Kezia Byanjeru) was the king's legal wife, Bagaaya became entitled to the status of Batebe (head of the princesses). She, however, shared the hectic royal court life in Kabalole with...