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Daily Mirror
Daily Mirror
Ros Wynne Jones

Queen and Mandela's playful relationship with him even teasing her about losing weight

Nelson Mandela Queen Elizabeth II Margaret Thatcher South Africa Africa

Theirs was an extraordinary friendship, the South African freedom fighter-turned-President and Her Majesty, the Queen. He called her Elizabeth, she called him Nelson.

Nelson Mandela also had a Xhosa nickname for his friend Queen Elizabeth II – Motlalepula, which means “to come with rain”.

So familiar was the relationship between the two global icons, that he even teased the Queen about losing weight.

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