The king's brother, Seeiso Seeiso, told South African radio that the king had wanted to speak to the people following the intervention of South African forces to put down a week-long rebellion.

"It was his greatest wish to address his people as a nation, in this time of turmoil... but it seems thus far as if his prime minister feels that it is not proper for his majesty to address his people."

Jeremy Vine in Maseru: Africa's strongest state humiliated by one of its smallest

Correspondents say the king believes the South African intervention - supported by the Lesotho government - may have inflamed rather than helped resolve the political crisis.

The seven weeks of unrest in the tiny kingdom was sparked by opposition allegations of vote-rigging in the general election in May.

Latest reports from the Lesotho capital, Maseru, say the city is relatively calm after the enforcement of a dusk-to-dawn curfew.

PM declares mutiny over

In a radio address, Prime Minister Pakalitha Mosisili has said that an anti-government mutiny had been quelled as government ministers and senior army officers who had fled for their lives have returned to Lesotho.

They had been arrested by junior ranks and forced to resign in a disagreement over the opposition protests.

"The army management, which was illegally removed, has been reinstated and is in full control," Mr Mosisili said.

South African reinforcements

On Thursday, South Africa sent reinforcements to help end the riots which greeted its first troop deployment in Lesotho.

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Reports say the South African tanks do not know which way to turn

With a total of more than 60 dead, including eight South African soldiers, there is increasing domestic criticism of the way Nelson Mandela's government is tackling the operation.

There have been reports that some South African soldiers had to ask directions on arrival in the landlocked state, because the ground work done by their own intelligence officers was sloppy.

South African defence ministry spokesman Puso Tladi: Soldiers on peace support operation

The BBC's correspondent in Maseru, Jeremy Vine, says hundreds of rebel soldiers are thought to have escaped Maseru with weapons to avoid being rounded up and may be choosing to punish their political opponents for inviting another country to intervene to stop a coup.

Unconfirmed reports say government supporters outside the capital were being killed by opposition supporters while South African troops were kept busy in the capital.

He says if that is the case, it drastically enlarges the peacekeeping task South Africa has set itself.