A former Pepsi employee living in Cheshire has been named pretender to the Rwandan throne-in-exile, becoming the first Briton to be declared king since the death of George VI in 1952.

Prince Emmanuel Bushayija, a naturalised Briton living in Sale, will assume the throne — officially defunct — as Yuhi VI, according to an edict issued by court elders.

Since coming to Britain in 2000, the prince has lived a quiet, almost reclusive life. Settling in Manchester, where he became a naturalised British citizen, he moved to Sale in 2011, setting up a security firm, according to company records.

It is far from clear whether he will welcome having kingship thrust upon him, particularly as his succession to Kigeli V, who died in October, has already been challenged by other members of the Rwandan royal family.