Activist and President (1918-2013)
Queen Elizabeth II first met Nelson Mandela in 1991 when he tried to gatecrash her banquet for heads of government in Harare. On hearing this, the Queen immediately said: ‘Let’s have him.’
Photo: © John Mathew Smith 2001/Flickr
Licensed for reuse under CC BY-SA 2.0
Source: BBC/Daily Express
Images: Believed to be in the
Public Domain or used with permission
Photo: NASA/Bill Ingalls • Believed to be in the Public Domain
The meeting was captured in the BBC documentary "Elizabeth R".
hh
Mr Mandela complimented The Queen, saying: "Your Majesty you look well taking into account your tight schedule."
hh
The Queen, known for her sense of humour, replied:
"I still have to see 16 people, I might not look so well tomorrow."
hh
They all erupted in laughter.
In an interview with the Daily Express Mandela said: "On my 90th birthday, I was phoned by Her Majesty the Queen."
hh
He was handed the phone and said "Hello Elizabeth, how is the Duke?"
hh
Afterwards his wife reprimanded him."you cannot refer to Her Majesty like that!"
hh
He replied: "But she calls me Nelson!"
Main
Menu
