Aids fears aside, both of Swaziland's dailies - The Times and the Observer - gave unprecedented coverage to this year's Valentine's Day.

The king is Africa's last absolute monarch

Apart from the front pages, most of Thursday's editions were filled with emotionally charged love messages and viewpoints from a cross-section of Swazis.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, older readers showed little interest in what one man called "this lovey-dovey hoo-hah".

One taxi driver wondered what all the fuss was about.

"Ask my wife, maybe she will know," he said.

Among the few members of the Swazi royal family to comment on the love-fest, Home Affairs Minister Prince Sobandla said his wife would be satisfied with a kiss.

The wife of Prince Lonkhokhela was hoping for slightly more in the shape of a plate of grilled prawns and a bottle of wine.

Tassle trouble

One section of the population unlikely to participate fully in Cupid's delights are the kingdom's under-18 girls.

Last September, King Mswati III revived a traditional law on chastity and banned sex for young girls to preserve virginity and halt the spread of HIV/Aids.

Under ancient Swazi tradition girls under 18 are expected to wear a set of blue and yellow "do not touch me" tassels.

Older girls observing chastity have to wear red and black tassels.

Africa's last remaining absolute monarch announced at the end of his 33rd birthday party that for five years maidens would be expected not to shake hands "with males, nor wear pants".