From the Archives: a line-up for the ages - speakers at the Royal Commonwealth Society

Since 1885, the Royal Commonwealth has welcomed some of the most influential figures in the history of the Commonwealth. Its clubhouse on Northumberland Avenue became a key stop for politicians and activists visiting London, offering opportunities to sway members through speeches and social gatherings.

In this edition of From the Archives, the dedicated team curating the Royal Commonwealth Society’s Archive at Cambridge University Library uncovers some of the club’s most fascinating guests.

Kwame Nkrumah, First Prime Minister of Ghana, July 1957

In July 1957, the Society hosted Kwame Nkrumah, Prime Minister of Ghana. This visit occurred just three months after Ghana gained independence and marked the first of many receptions held at the Society for dignitaries from newly independent nations. A photograph in the journal (shown on the right) captures Nkrumah in traditional Ghanaian attire, flanked by other guests.

Once Nkrumah was co-opted into the political establishment and recognised as a Commonwealth leader, the Society welcomed him warmly. Hosting him was not only a gesture of hospitality but also a way for the Society to signal its engagement with newly independent countries. The image of guests conversing together conveyed a vision of the Commonwealth as polite, welcoming, and friendly.

Bishop Trevor Huddleston, Leading Figure within the Anti-Apartheid Movement, 1983

Born in Yorkshire, Trevor Huddleston became an Anglican priest and later served as Bishop of Masasi in Tanzania. He spent much of the 1940s and 1950s in Sophiatown, Johannesburg, witnessing the harsh realities of apartheid firsthand.

In 1983, Huddleston addressed the Royal Commonwealth Society amid global controversy over the International Monetary Fund’s proposed $1.1 billion bailout to South Africa’s apartheid regime. His speech came shortly after he had spoken at the UN General Assembly, opposing the loan, and helped deliver a letter to Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher advocating sanctions, backed by 70,000 signatures. At the UN, only the USA, the Federal Republic of Germany, and the UK opposed a resolution condemning the IMF plan.

This was not Huddleston’s first engagement with the RCS. In 1963, he spoke about Tanzania, and in 1983, he also participated in campaigns for Nelson Mandela’s release, meeting the imprisoned leader on his 65th birthday at the club.

Huddleston’s lifelong commitment to justice, human rights, and anti-apartheid activism cemented his status as one of the most influential voices against racial oppression in the Commonwealth.

Lee Kuan Yew, Prime Minister of Singapore, September 1969

Lee Kuan Yew, the founding Prime Minister of Singapore (1959–1990), played a pivotal role in transforming the country from a developing port into a thriving city-state. His legacy continued through his family, with his son later winning The Queen’s Commonwealth Essay Competition.

In his 1969 Royal Commonwealth Society speech, Lee cautioned against the risks of talent and capital flight as travel became more accessible, and stressed the importance of not de-prioritising education and research. He urged leaders to recognise the delicate nature of international cooperation and to maintain close, collaborative ties between nations.

“All this is part of history. I feel that cautious optimism on the future of the Commonwealth is not misplaced.”

Lee Kuan Yew’s address reflected both a pragmatic awareness of global challenges and an enduring faith in the Commonwealth’s potential as a platform for mutual growth and shared prosperity.

Julius Nyerere, First President of Tanzania, 1985

Julius Nyerere, Tanzania’s founding president, was a unifying figure for Africa whose leadership extended beyond national borders. During his 1985 visit to the Royal Commonwealth Society, he delivered a detailed speech on economic trends, past, present, and future, and their impact on Africa, Tanzania, and other producer nations.

Nyerere praised the Commonwealth’s principle of poverty eradication but stressed the need for greater international study into its causes. He warned that in an era of globalisation, an economic slowdown in Africa would not only harm the continent but also affect employment, wages, and living standards in developed regions, urging wealthier nations not to turn their backs on Africa.

He urged a nuanced understanding of social challenges, noting that lawlessness or corruption should be seen as symptoms of poverty rather than inherent traits of African societies, cautioning against scapegoating.

Addressing pressing economic realities, Nyerere highlighted the perspective of developing countries dealing with rising oil prices, high inflation, and the impacts of monetarist policies in the late 1970s. He explained how economic pressures in developed nations created intense competition for consumers, driving down international prices and severely affecting producer nations like Tanzania.

Archbishop Desmond Tutu, Oct. 1985

A year after winning the Nobel Peace Prize, Desmond Tutu visited the Royal Commonwealth Society. During the same trip to London, he gave an interview to Rolling Stone magazine, where he was described as:

'What gives Tutu such strength and influence is his uncanny ability to look his Afrikaner opponents squarely in the eyes and laugh at the absurdity of their vision. Instead of indulging in a bit of sanctimony...'

Around the same time, he spoke at the Free Mandela event, where the bust of Nelson Mandela at the South Bank Centre was unveiled. The sculpture, which remains on display today, was attended by Oliver Tambo and Mandela’s daughter, and the ceremony was funded by the Greater London Council.

Oliver Tambo, Leader of the ANC, June 1986

The leader of Mandela’s party likely visited the Royal Commonwealth Society on multiple occasions, but the transcript of one particular speech survives. He began by thanking the Society for providing a platform from which to speak. His address responded to the recent Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in the Bahamas, where sanctions against South Africa’s regime had been debated.

He warned those hesitant to embrace change that the international community and global public were watching and judging. He emphasised that idleness in the face of injustice amounted to tacitly allowing violence to continue. Cautioning that a failure to act decisively could risk undermining, and even fracturing, the Commonwealth, he urged both moral and political responsibility.

The event was attended by prominent figures in the anti-apartheid movement, including Oliver Tambo, highlighting the close collaboration between South African exiles and the international community in advocating for justice.

His Excellency Mr Maumoon Abdul Gayoom, President of the Republic of Maldives, 2007

His Excellency Mr Maumoon Abdul Gayoom, President of the Maldives, first spoke at the Royal Commonwealth Society in 1986 and returned in 2007 with a speech titled 'Is There a Right to a Safe Environment?', focusing on climate change. Reflecting on the first-ever Commonwealth discussion on climate change in 1987, he highlighted the Maldives’ role in hosting the first Small States Conference on Rising Sea Levels in 1989. This landmark event helped establish the Alliance of Small Island States (AOSIS), which was influential in shaping the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change, adopted at the 1992 Rio Earth Summit.

President Gayoom spoke with pride about the slow but steady shift toward environmental awareness and argued that a sustainable climate is a human right, a concept still gaining traction in 2007.

At the time of his visit, the Maldives was undergoing a political transition after decades under his leadership. The People’s Special Majlis had revised the 1998 constitution, introducing multi-party democracy, independent courts, and presidential term limits. A referendum in August 2007 confirmed the presidential system with 62% support, though international observers, including Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch, continued to criticise restrictions on press freedom, the use of anti-terrorism laws against activists, and police violence toward demonstrators.

Michael Manely, Jamaican Prime Minister, 1988

In 1988, former Jamaican Prime Minister Michael Manley delivered a speech at the Royal Commonwealth Society titled 'To Unite in a Common Battle.' Although the full transcript is not available, reports indicate that he advocated for the people of Southern Africa, focusing on the liberation struggles in Zimbabwe and Namibia, and emphasised the importance of international solidarity with these movements.

Manley also called for economic justice, urging the dismantling of unfair trade systems, and stressed the need for political unity among Commonwealth nations to support self-determination. His address reinforced the role of the Commonwealth as a platform for collective action against oppression and inequality.

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 The views and opinions expressed are those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of the Royal Commonwealth Society.