Which Foreign Leader Called Queen Elizabeth II By Her First Name?

Queen Elizabeth II reportedly shared a close bond with Nelson Mandela.

In the documentary “Queen of the World,” it was revealed that the Queen and Mandela met in 1991 when he joined the Commonwealth summit in South Africa. Even though Mandela didn’t become the president of South Africa until 1994, the Queen still invited him.

Press Secretary Anson revealed that the two foreign dignitaries clicked right away. “He was the only leader whom I recall sometimes calling the Queen by her first name in private conversations and it seemed totally natural. I remember they talked about the way international sport, and the televising of it, had helped to break down barriers between people of different races all over the world,” he said (via Express).

Mandela’s former personal assistant, Zelda la Grange, also talked about his and the Queen’s closeness in “Good Morning, Mr. Mandela.”

“I was struck by the warm friendship between Madiba and the Queen. ‘Oh Elizabeth,’ he would say when he greeted her. I think he was one of the very few people who called her by her first name and she seemed to be amused by it,” she said.

Grange said that there was also one instance when Mandela told the Queen that she lost weight during one of their candid conversations.

In related news, Her Majesty also made headlines after the real reason why she always carries around a Launer handbag was revealed. Sam Launer, who founded the brand in the 1940s, teamed up with the Queen’s shoe brand of choice HM Rayne, the Royal Warrant manufacturers.

The Royal Warrants of Appointment are issued on behalf of the manufacturers to traders who supplied the royal family with goods. Since Launer received the Royal Warrants of Appointment, the Queen is typically seen using the handbag brand in public.

Her Majesty, Prince Philip, and Prince Charles are the three royals who can bestow the Royal Warrants of Appointment to a particular company. Launer received its own Royal Warrants of Appointment in 1968.