Princess Haya considers her meeting with Madiba one of the greatest honours of her life.

World leaders have been paying tribute to former South African president Nelson Mandela, who would have celebrated his 100th birthday on July 18.

Dubai’s very own HRH Princess Haya bint Al Hussein was among them. The royal shared a photo of her with the anti-apartheid icon, who invited her to South Africa back in 2008.

She captioned the picture with one of Mandela’s inspirational quotes: “What counts in life is not the mere fact that we have lived. It is what difference we have made to the lives of others that will determine the significance of the life we lead.”

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Princess Haya, a UN Messenger of Peace, spent time with Mandela while visiting the Walter Sisulu Paediatric Cardiac Centre for Africa, where she was raising awareness of the issue of paediatric cardiac health in Africa.

She later described the experience as one of the “greatest honours” of her life.

“Madiba was a different kind of freedom fighter, a different kind of politician, a different kind of philanthropist and a different kind of human being: his dedication to leaving the world a better place and his belief in the fundamental good of humanity knew no bounds. In his presence, people felt moved to do more; to give more; to be more,” she said in 2017.

Princess Haya wasn’t the only royal to pay tribute to the iconic African leader, who passed away in 2013. The Duke and Duchess of Sussex met with Mandela’s granddaughter, Zamaswazi Dlamini-Mandela, as they attended an exhibition in London dedicated to his life.

Meghan Markle looked particularly moved as she watched a special performance from the Ubunye Choir. A video shared by Kensington Palace shows the duchess gesturing to Prince Harry that their singing had given her goosebumps.

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