Lewis Hamilton will be among the celebrities lining up to wish former South African president Nelson Mandela well on the occasion of his 90th birthday, having been confirmed among those set to attend a special concert in London's Hyde Park in June.
The
McLaren driver will join a group of international politicians and instantly recognisable media figures among an audience of 46,664 - a number based on Mandela's prison identity on Robben Island - pay tribute to the first democratically-elected leader of the 'rainbow nation'. Former US president Bill Clinton, British prime minister Gordon Brown, and actors Will Smith, Robert de Niro and Forest Whitaker are all expected to join Hamilton on the list of those attending the 27 June gathering.
Among the acts due to perform in a three-hour concert are Queen & Paul Rodgers, Annie Lennox, Simple Minds, Leona Lewis, the Sugababes, Dame Shirley Bassey, Razorlight, Andrea and Sharon Corr, Eddy Grant and Jamelia, along with international 46664 ambassadors Zucchero and Amaral, with others still to be announced.
The concert proceeds will go to Mandela's 46664 campaign, which raises awareness about the impact of AIDS, especially in Africa, and promotes effective HIV prevention measures throughout the world.
"Not in a million years would I have anticipated having the opportunity to meet someone of that stature," Hamilton said of the chance to speak to the Nobel Peace Prize laureate, "He is such a great guy. I don't know what I am going to be saying to him, but I've been thinking about it and what I will say when I meet him. I am sure it will come to me when I get there."
