List of dignitaries at the memorial service of Nelson Mandela
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This is a list of dignitaries at the state memorial service of Nelson Mandela, the former president of South Africa.[1] Mandela died on 5 December 2013. Many heads of state and government attended the state memorial service on Tuesday, 10 December 2013, at the FNB Stadium in Johannesburg. The memorial service was one of the largest gatherings of world leaders.[2] It was also the largest funeral in the history of South Africa, and the African continent itself.
Two UN secretaries-general, the presidents of the European Council and European Commission, two French presidents, four United States presidents, and four UK prime ministers attended the funeral service. In total, more than 500 VIP dignitaries from 19 supranational organizations and approximately 190 countries had arrived for this event. Some of the dignitaries later attended the burial ceremony on 15 December 2013 at Mandela's hometown, Qunu.
This memorial event was one of the largest in the world in terms of foreign leaders, along with the funeral of Pope John Paul II in 2005 and the state funeral of Queen Elizabeth II on 19 September 2022.
Heads of state and government





Other royalty
| Country | Title | Dignitary |
|---|---|---|
| Queen | Mathilde | |
| Crown Prince | Frederik[9] | |
| Crown Prince | Naruhito[9] | |
| Queen Consort | Rania[9] | |
| Princess Consort | Charlene[a] | |
| Prince | Moulay Rachid[9] | |
| Crown Prince | Haakon[7] | |
| Prince | Muqrin[9] | |
| Crown Prince | Felipe VI[7] | |
| Crown Princess | Victoria[9] | |
| Prince of Wales | Charles[7] | |
| Duke of Cambridge | Prince William[7] | |
| Prince | Harry |
Government representatives
| Country | Title | Dignitary |
|---|---|---|
| Deputy President | Kgalema Motlanthe | |
| Speaker of the Council of the Nation | Abdelkader Bensalah | |
| Vice-president | Manuel Vicente[9] | |
| High Commissioner | Carl Ruberts | |
| Ambassador | Robert Murdoch | |
| Acting President | Amado Boudou[9] | |
| Minister of Foreign Affairs | Fred Mitchell[6] | |
| Minister of Tourism | Obie Wilchcombe[6] | |
| Foreign Minister | Maxine McClean | |
| Vice Chairman of the House of Representatives | Viktor Guminsky[18] | |
| Foreign Minister | Orlando Smith | |
| Deputy Prime Minister | Angel Velichkov | |
| Nova Scotia Premier | Stephen McNeil | |
| Premier of the Yukon | Darrell Pasloski | |
| Alberta Premier | Alison Redford | |
| NDP Leader | Tom Mulcair | |
| Foreign Minister | John Baird | |
| Deputy Prime Minister | Samuel Rangba | |
| Vice-president | Li Yuanchao[19] | |
| Vice-president | Angelino Garzón | |
| Foreign Minister | Bruno Rodriguez | |
| Minister of Foreign Affairs | Jan Kohout[7] | |
| Foreign Minister | Ricardo Patiño | |
| Chairman of the National Council for Human Rights | Mohammed Faiq[20] | |
| Minister of Foreign Affairs | Jaime Miranda[9] | |
| Foreign Minister | Urmas Paet[21] | |
| State Minister | Surafiel Mhreteab Abed | |
| Minister of Foreign and European Affairs | Laurent Fabius[22] | |
| Minister of Justice | Christiane Taubira | |
| Minister of National Defence | Dimitris Avramopoulos | |
| President of the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace | Peter Turkson[7] | |
| Deputy Prime Minister | Zsolt Semjén | |
| Chairperson of the National Advisory Council | Sonia Gandhi[23] | |
| Minister of Commerce and Industry | Anand Sharma | |
| Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha | Sushma Swaraj | |
| Vice President | Mohammad Shariatmadari[20] | |
| Tánaiste | Eamon Gilmore[13] | |
| President of the Knesset | Yuli-Yoel Edelstein[9] | |
| Knesset representatives | 5 Speakers | |
| President of the Chamber of Deputies | Laura Boldrini | |
| Foreign Minister | Mohlabi Tsekoa | |
| Government Representative | Gitanas Nausėda | |
| Foreign Minister | Ephraim Chiume | |
| Minister of the Federal Territories | Tengku Adnan Tengku Mansor[24] | |
| Minister of Energy, Green Technology and Water | Maximus Ongkili[9] | |
| Minister of Foreign Affairs | Madhav Prasad Ghimire[7] | |
| Foreign Minister | Frans Timmermans[7] | |
| Vice-president | Moises Omar Halleslevens Acevedo | |
| Foreign Minister | Radosław Sikorski[9] | |
| Vice-president | Marisol Espinoza[citation needed] | |
| Vice-president | Jejomar Binay[25] | |
| Chairwoman of the Federation Council | Valentina Matviyenko | |
| Deputy Prime Minister | Tharman Shanmugaratnam[26] | |
| Minister of Foreign Affairs | Miroslav Lajčák[7] | |
| Vice President | Bakri Hassan Saleh[9] | |
| Foreign Minister | Bernard Membe | |
| Representative from Chama Cha Mapinduzi | Vicky Swai | |
| Deputy Prime Minister | Beşir Atalay[27] | |
| Foreign Minister | Leonid Kozhara | |
| Minister of Culture | Nahyan bin Mubarak Al Nahyan | |
| Deputy Prime Minister | Nick Clegg[28] | |
| Leader of the Opposition | Ed Miliband | |
| Mayor of London | Boris Johnson | |
| Speaker of the House of Commons | John Bercow | |
| Health Secretary | Jeremy Hunt | |
| First Lady | Michelle Obama[7] | |
| Attorney General | Eric Holder | |
| National Security Advisor | Susan Rice[17] | |
| Senator from Texas | Ted Cruz | |
| United States Congress representatives | 26 members of Congress | |
| Deputy Minister | Donna Christian Christensen | |
| Minister of Foreign Relations | Luis Almagro[9] | |
| Chairman of the Presidential Office | Đào Việt Trung | |
| Vice-president | Guy Scott | |
| Foreign Minister | Wilbur Simuusa | |
| Deputy Prime Minister | Simbarashe Mumbengegwi |
International organisations
Former heads of state / government
Other guests

This section is a partial list of notable guests who attended the memorial service.
- Bono, Irish singer (U2) and activist[30]
- Richard Branson, British businessman, founder of Virgin Group[30]
- Laura Bush, former First Lady, spouse of former US President George W. Bush
- Naomi Campbell, British model[30]
- Chelsea Clinton, daughter of former US President Bill Clinton
- Hillary Clinton, former US Secretary of State[17] (Governmental representatives).
- Peter Gabriel, British singer[30]
- Bill Gates, American businessman, founder and president of Microsoft[28]
- Jesse Jackson, American civil rights activist, minister, and politician
- Henry Kissinger, former US Secretary of State (Governmental representatives).
- Annie Lennox, British singer-songwriter[28]
- Francois Pienaar, South African rugby player[30]
- Charlize Theron, South African-American actress[30]
- Desmond Tutu, South African Anglican Archbishop[28]
- Oprah Winfrey, American television personality and actress[28]