LONDON: Visitors’ books from the residence of Britain’s prime minister were made public for the first time on Tuesday, revealing a who’s who of famous signatures going back decades.
Illustrious autographs penned by guests to 10 Downing Street, London, include those of South African anti-apartheid hero Nelson Mandela, the late Queen Elizabeth II and a succession of US presidents.
The three volumes cover the period from 1970, when Edward Heath was UK premier, to 2003 when Tony Blair occupied Britain’s highest political office.
The collection was released by the National Archives after the government stopped it from going up for auction earlier this year. The names of visitors to Downing Street are not always publicly revealed, so the books provide an interesting insight into who has visited the prime minister. Queen Elizabeth II signed the book “Elizabeth R” (Elizabeth Regina or queen in Latin), while current monarch King Charles III and his former wife simply opted for “Charles” and “Diana”.
In 1996, Mandela wrote “Visiting Downing St, No 10, is always an unforgettable experience” while in 1990 then-Czech leader Vaclav Havel drew a heart under his name. Ex-US presidents Jimmy Carter, Ronald Reagan, George H.W. Bush, Bill Clinton and George W. Bush all signed the book.
In 1989, the elder Bush wrote, “With respect, friendship, and gratitude for this relationship that means so much”, to which his wife, Barbara, added: “Me too.”
To commemorate the 250th anniversary of 10 Downing Street in 1985, then premier Margaret Thatcher and all five of her surviving predecessors — Harold Macmillan, Alec Douglas-Home, Harold Wilson, Heath and James Callaghan — signed the same page.
Other notable signatories include former emperor of Ethiopia Haile Selassie, the last leader of the Soviet Union Mikhail Gorbachev, and ex-prime minister of India Indira Gandhi.
Notorious signatories include 1970s Ugandan dictator Idi Amin and ex-Zimbabwe president Robert Mugabe. The books came to light earlier this year when one was about to go under the hammer. The auctioneers said the seller was a retired civil servant who found it after he was given permission to remove boxes damaged by a flood.
The book had been expected to raise about 15,000 ($18,800) but the sale was suspended after the government said it was its property under a public records act.
Published in Dawn, January 1st, 2025
