Seretse Khama Knighted by Queen Elizabeth II
Chapter 1

The crowned queen of the grave

Chapter 2

The monk who almost became emperor

Chapter 3

The love that defied an empire

Chapter 4

The secret letters of the Swedish queen

YOUR GOAL

Master of History's most surprising and forbidden love stories

Ch 3 · The love that defied an empire
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andy The marriage that shocked two continents

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andy Seretse and Ruth Khama

They tried to ban our love and set us far apart, But we came home to build a nation from the heart.

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andy A chance meeting in post-war London

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Banishment from a beloved homeland

andy To appease South Africa, the British government tricked Seretse into traveling to London in 1950 and exiled him from Bechuanaland.

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The marriage that shocked two continents

andy Their secret 1948 wedding outraged both the British government and South Africa, which was just establishing its brutal apartheid system.

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Rebel Hearts
BETA

andy Match secret love letters to discover how forbidden romances changed the course of history.

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Fun Fact

Royal title: Seretse Khama was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II in 1966, shortly before Botswana declared its independence from Britain.

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Glossary
exile (noun)
The state of being barred from one's native country, typically for political or punitive reasons. In 1951, Britain forced Seretse Khama into exile because of his marriage to Ruth Williams.

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Gossip

Would you move across the world for love?

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Quiz

Which country's newly established apartheid government pressured Britain to stop the marriage of Seretse Khama and Ruth Williams?

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andy From exiled royals to democratic founders

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Quiz

In which city did African prince Seretse Khama and English clerk Ruth Williams first meet in 1947?

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Quiz

Of which major African tribe was Seretse Khama the rightful royal heir?

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Quiz

In what year did Seretse Khama and Ruth Williams get married?

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Quiz

What did the protectorate of Bechuanaland change its name to after gaining independence in 1966?

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Quiz

At what kind of event did Seretse Khama and Ruth Williams first meet in London?

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Quiz

What political role did Seretse Khama hold after Botswana became an independent nation?

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Quiz

How did the British government prevent Seretse Khama from returning home in 1950?

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