In 1995, Mandela also made a State Visit to the United Kingdom – the first by a South African Head of State. During his visit, President Mandela presented the Duke of Edinburgh with a colourful chess set, as well as a beautiful silk scarf, decorated with a scene from Mandela’s birthplace, the Drakensberg (Dragon) Mountains. The Queen returned to South Africa for the 16th Commonwealth Heads of Government meeting in Durban in 1999, and hosted State Visits from South Africa in 2001 and 2011.
King Charles, then Prince Charles, visited South Africa with Prince Harry in November 1997, soon after the death of Diana, Princess of Wales, and later visited with the then Duchess of Cornwall for a five-day tour of South Africa in 2011. He also attended the Funeral of Nelson Mandela in 2013.
Cyril Ramaphosa is greeted by King Charles III and the Queen Consort during a Ceremonial Welcome on Horse Guards Parade
LEON NEAL/Getty Images
In 2008, Prince William and Prince Harry took part in the Enduro Africa 08 Charity Motorcycle Ride from Durban to Port Elizabeth in aid of UNICEF, the Nelson Mandela Children’s Fund and Sentebale – the charity Prince Harry co-founded with Prince Seeiso of Lesotho.
Prince Harry has visited the continent a number of times over the years and it played an important role in the early days of his and Meghan’s relationship.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex showed their commitment to the continent and its people when they undertook an official tour in 2019, accompanied by their then four-month-old son, Archie. The family stayed together in South Africa, while Prince Harry also made solo trips to Malawi, Angola and Botswana.
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