It is not easy to become the first lady of even one country, let alone two different ones because it is not a position to apply for like a job.
To some people, it must be a matter of destiny.
Machel is an international advocate for women’s and children’s rights and was made an honorary British Dame by Queen Elizabeth II in 1997 for her humanitarian work. She is the only woman in modern history to have served as First Lady of two countries.
Graca Machel, the only woman in the world’s history to become first lady of two different countries
But an African woman was so lucky to have been married to two different presidents of two different countries and hence became the only woman in the world’s history to have been the first lady of two countries.
Graca Machel, a 74-year-old Mozambican politician and humanitarian first got married to the former president of Mozambique, Samora Machel in 1975.
Graca Machel, the only woman in the world’s history to become first lady of two different countries
However, she became a widow in 1986 when Samora died in a mysterious plane crash just inside the South African border reports say.
As fate would have it, the former South African president Nelson Mandela also found her worthy to marry, and they spent 15 years together as a couple before the anti-apartheid hero died in 2013.
Graca was usually seen around Mandela after his release from prison in 1990.
Graca Machel, the only woman in the world’s history to become first lady of two different countries
Interestingly, the wedding between Graca and Mandela took place on Mandela’s 80th birthday, July 18, 1998.
This made her the only woman in the world to be the first lady of two different countries.
She feels honoured to have spent her life with the two gentlemen although they both left her a widow.
“It’s not two leaders who fell in love with me, but two real people. I feel privileged that I have shared my life with two such exceptional men,” Graca is quoted to have once said.
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