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WEKU
WEKU
Penny Dale

A South African choir sang for Queen Victoria. They had great highs — and awful lows

Queen Victoria South Africa England Africa Howells Britain London United States

When sisters Charlotte and Katie Manye found out they were going to England in 1891, they were overjoyed — "leaping and whirling ... in a dance of triumph" Katie Manye said of their journey.

"To England!" she recounts Charlotte shouting again, locking her arms in Katie's as they both "leapt upwards on one last burst of energy before falling exhausted to the floor."

This choir from South Africa spent two years singing in Britain, and even performed for Queen Victoria in 1891. But their journey did not end well. (Universal History Archive/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)
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