Ruth Williams Khama

Lady Khama was born Ruth Williams in Meadowcourt Road, Blackheath in South London.[1] She was the daughter of George and Dorothy Williams.[2] Her father had served as a captain in the British Army in India, and later worked in the tea trade. She had a sister, Muriel Williams-Sanderson, with whom she remained close.[3]

She was educated at Eltham Hill Grammar School and then served as a WAAF ambulance driver at various airfields in the south of England during the Second World War.[4] After the war, she worked as a clerk for Cuthbert Heath, a firm of underwriters at Lloyd's of London.

In June 1947, at a dance at Nutford House organised by the London Missionary Society, her sister introduced her to Prince Seretse Khama. He was the son of the paramount chief Sekgoma II of the Bamangwato people and was studying law at Inner Temple in London after a year at Balliol College, Oxford. The couple were both fans of jazz music, particularly The Ink Spots, and quickly fell in love.[5] Their plans to marry caused controversy with elders in Bechuanaland and the government of South Africa, which had recently instituted the system of racial segregation known as apartheid. The British government intervened to stop the marriage. The Bishop of London, William Wand, said he would permit a church wedding only if the government agreed.[6] The couple married at Kensington Register Office in September 1948.[7] Daniel Malan, Prime Minister of South Africa, described their marriage as "nauseating".[6][8] Julius Nyerere, then a student teacher and later President of Tanzania, said it was "one of the great love stories of the world".[7]

The couple returned to Bechuanaland, a British protectorate, where Seretse's uncle Tshekedi Khama was regent. After receiving popular support in Bechuanaland, Seretse was called to London in 1950 for discussions with British officials. He was prevented from returning home and told he had to remain in exile. Ruth joined him in England and the married couple lived as exiles from 1951, living in Croydon.[6] Popular support and protest continued in Bechuanaland. The couple were permitted to return in 1956 after the Bamangwato people sent a telegram to Queen Elizabeth II. Seretse renounced his throne and became a cattle farmer in Serowe. Seretse founded the nationalist Bechuanaland Democratic Party and won the 1965 general election. As prime minister of Bechuanaland, he pushed for independence, which was granted in 1966. Seretse Khama became the first president of independent Botswana and he became a Knight Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire. Lady Khama was an influential, politically active First Lady during her husband's four consecutive terms as president from 1966 to 1980.

Lady Khama and her husband had four children. Their first child Jacqueline was born in Bechuanaland in 1950, shortly after Seretse was exiled. Their first son Ian was born in England in 1953, and twins Anthony and Tshekedi were born in Bechuanaland in 1958 (Anthony was named after Tony Benn, then known as Anthony Wedgwood Benn, who supported their return from exile in the early 1950s[8]). She remained in Botswana after her husband's death in office in 1980, receiving recognition as "Mohumagadi Mma Kgosi" (mother of the chief, or queen mother). Despite the national controversy surrounding their union in the 1940s and 1950s, the couple were inseparable until his death from cancer in 1980.[9] After her husband's death, she lived on a large farm in Botswana, dedicating her time and efforts to charitable causes and spending time with her children and grandchildren.

Two of their sons, Ian and Tshekedi, have become prominent politicians in Botswana. Ian Khama was elected as the President of Botswana in 2008.

Lady Khama died of throat cancer in Gaborone in 2002 at the age of 78, survived by her four children. She was buried in Botswana next to her husband.[8][6]

A film, A Marriage of Inconvenience, based on the Michael Dutfield book with same name,[10] was made in 1990 about the Khamas.[11] In 2006 a book was published entitled Colour Bar: The Triumph of Seretse Khama and His Nation, written by historian Susan Williams, about the Khamas' relationship and struggles.[12] Another film, A United Kingdom, based on the Williams book and directed by Amma Asante, was made in 2016.[13][14] In A United Kingdom, Lady Khama is portrayed by Rosamund Pike.[13] It has been suggested that the experiences of the Khamas, as well as the somewhat contemporary case of 1950s debutante Peggy Cripps' marriage to the African anti-colonialist Nana Joe Appiah, influenced the writing of the Oscar-winning feature film, Guess Who's Coming to Dinner (1967).[15]

• Williams, Susan. 2006. Colour Bar. Allen Lane. ISBN 0-7139-9811-3
• Dutfield, Michael. 1990. A Marriage of Inconvenience, The Persecution of Ruth and Seretse Khama. Routledge. ISBN 0-04-440495-6
• A Marriage of Inconvenience at IMDb