[3] On 24 March 1966, shortly after going into exile, Mwambutsa had delegated his royal powers to his son, the 18-year-old Crown Prince Charles Ndizeye.

[4][5] On 8 July 1966, forces loyal to Ndizeye overthrew the pro-Mwambutsa government of Prime Minister Léopold Biha.

He suspended the constitution, dismissed Biha, and asked the 26-year-old Captain Michel Micombero, a Tutsi army officer who had played a major role in the coup, to form a new government.

[2] However, tension developed between Ntare, who wanted to actively rule as a monarch, and Micombero's government, which had aligned itself to reform and saw little need for an involved king.

[2] Ntare V fled into exile but returned to the country from Uganda in 1972, at which time he was assassinated under circumstances that have yet to be fully explained.