Visitors’ books to the British prime minister’s residence were made public for the first time on Tuesday, revealing famous signatures dating back decades.
The spectacular autographs signed by guests at 10 Downing Street, London include those of South African anti-apartheid hero Nelson Mandela, the late Queen Elizabeth II and several US Presidents.
The three volumes cover the period from 1970, when Edward Heath was Prime Minister of Britain, to 2003, when Tony Blair held Britain’s highest political office.
The collection was released by the National Archives after the government blocked it from going to auction earlier this year.
The names of visitors to Downing Street are not always publicly disclosed, so the books provide interesting information about who has met the Prime Minister.
Queen Elizabeth II signed the book “Elizabeth R” (Elizabeth Regina or Queen in Latin), while the current monarch King Charles III and his former wife chose only “Charles” and “Diana”.
In 1996, Mandela wrote, “Visiting Downing St, Number 10 is always an unforgettable experience” while in 1990 the then Czech leader Václav Havel had a heart drawn below his name.
Former US Presidents Jimmy Carter, Ronald Reagan, George HW Bush, Bill Clinton, and George W. Bush all signed the book.
In 1989, the elder Bush wrote, “Respect, friendship and gratitude for this relationship, which means so much”, to which his wife Barbara replied: “Me too.”
To commemorate the 250th anniversary of 10 Downing Street in 1985, then-premier Margaret Thatcher and all five of her living predecessors – Harold Macmillan, Alec Douglas-Home, Harold Wilson, Heath and James Callaghan – signed the same page.
Other notable signatories include former Emperor Haile Selassie of Ethiopia, the last leader of the Soviet Union Mikhail Gorbachev and former Prime Minister of India Indira Gandhi.
Notorious signatories include 1970s Ugandan dictator Idi Amin and former Zimbabwean president Robert Mugabe.
These books came to light earlier this year when one was about to be auctioned.
The auctioneers said the seller was a retired civil servant who got it after permission was granted to remove boxes damaged by floods.
The book was expected to raise about £15,000 ($18,800), but sales were suspended after the government said it was its property under the Public Records Act.
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