By direction of King Mswati III, the English language form of his country's name was changed from Swaziland to Eswatini in 2018.

In the early years of colonial rule, the British had expected that Swaziland would eventually be incorporated into South Africa.

After World War II, however, South Africa’s racial policies induced the United Kingdom to prepare Swaziland for independence.

In 1966, the UK Government agreed to discuss a new constitution, and Swaziland became independent on September 6, 1968.

The United States immediately recognized the new nation and established an embassy in the capital Mbabane on September 6, 1968, independence day for Swaziland.