REEL FACE: | REAL FACE: |
David Oyelowo
Born: April 1, 1976 Birthplace: Oxford, England, UK | Seretse Khama
Born: July 1, 1921 Birthplace: Serowe, Bechuanaland Death: July 13, 1980, Gaborone, Botswana (pancreatic cancer) |
Rosamund Pike
Born: January 27, 1979 Birthplace: Hammersmith, London, England, UK | Ruth Williams
Born: December 9, 1923 Birthplace: Blackheath, London, UK Death: May 22, 2002, Gaborone, Botswana (throat cancer) |
Arnold Oceng
Born: November 30, 1985 Birthplace: Uganda | Charles Njonjo
Born: January 23, 1920 Birthplace: Kabete, Nairobi, Kenya |
Laura Carmichael
Born: July 16, 1986 Birthplace: Southampton, UK | Muriel Williams
Birthplace: UK |
Nicholas Lyndhurst
Born: April 20, 1961 Birthplace: Emsworth, Hampshire, England, UK | George Williams
Birthplace: UK |
Anastasia Hille
Born: November 28, 1965 Birthplace: London, England, UK | Dot Williams
Birthplace: UK |
Vusi Kunene
| Tshekedi Khama
Born: September 17, 1905 Birthplace: Serowe, Bechuanaland Death: June 10, 1959, London, England, UK |
Terry Pheto
| Naledi Khama
Born: abt 1925 Birthplace: Serowe, Bechuanaland Death: May 4, 2016 |
Jack Lowden
Born: June 2, 1990 Birthplace: Chelmsford, Essex, England, UK | Tony Benn
Born: April 3, 1925 Birthplace: Marylebone, London, UK Death: March 14, 2014, London, England, UK (chronic lymphatic leukaemia) |
The A United Kingdom true story reveals that Prince Seretse Khama of Botswana (then known as the British Protectorate of Bechuanaland) met English-born Ruth Williams, a white woman, when he was studying law in London in the summer of 1947. Ruth Williams was working as a clerk at Lloyd's of London, an insurance market. They first met in June of that year at a London Missionary Society dance when Ruth's sister Muriel introduced them. At that time in post-war Britain, only 0.02 percent of the people were black. Prejudice was fervent and interracial couples were largely nonexistent. -Telegraph.co.uk
No. Fact-checking the A United Kingdom movie reveals that Ruth was hesitant at first, unlike in the film where they feel an almost immediate attraction. They did develop an undeniable connection and shared similar interests, including a love for jazz. They met at a few more dances and eventually Seretse found the courage to ask Ruth to attend a show with him, their first official date. The movie condenses their courtship a little, but they dated for approximately a year before marrying in September 1948. -People.com
Yes. Seretse and Ruth's wish to live together as a married couple in Botswana sparked a decades-long feud between the British Empire and his family. The dispute ended when Botswana (then Bechuanaland) gained its independence from Great Britain. We'll get into the details of that later. -People.com
Yes. Like in the United Kingdom movie, the true story confirms that Ruth William's father, George Williams, disowned his daughter, which indeed made things difficult for Ruth. -People.com
Yes. Seretse's uncle, Tshekedi Khama, who had acted as his guardian and regent ever since Seretse's father died when he was four, immediately attempted to stop the marriage and bring Seretse, the chief-in-waiting, back to Botswana. Not only was he against the interracial union, it was customary in Botswana for the "chief" to marry a woman picked by the tribe, one with royal standing, something that clearly Ruth, a clerk, did not have. -People.com
Yes. William Wand, the Bishop of London, would only give his blessing if the government supported the nuptials, which they of course did not. The bishop actually telephoned the priest the morning of the marriage to tell him not to perform the wedding. As a result, the couple decided to have a civil ceremony a few days later, tying the knot on September 29, 1948 at Kensington Register Office. After they were married, they lived in a small London flat for a time. -Telegraph.co.uk
Yes, but their acceptance didn't come easily, mostly due to Seretse's uncle, Tshekedi Khama, who was acting as kgosi (king) at the time and strongly opposed the union. In meetings held in the winter of 1948, Seretse was unsuccessful in his attempt to convince his tribe, the Bamangwato, which was the largest tribe in the country. Finally, he managed to sway their support in June 1949 (the arguments Seretse made at these meetings are condensed somewhat in the film). Even though the movie then shows Seretse's uncle rather defiantly setting up his own village in another part of the country, his uncle actually left Botswana (then Bechuanaland) disgraced, having conceded defeat. Ruth arrived two months later and they were reunited. -People.com
Yes. Despite Seretse's Bangwato tribe in Botswana finally giving their approval and welcoming the pair, the British government forbid the marriage from being recognized in the British colony of South Africa. Britain couldn't risk upsetting Botswana's southern neighbor, which had begun to enforce the early stages of apartheid, the country's legislation that defined racial segregation in the region and included a ban on interracial marriage. Britain needed to preserve a good relationship with South Africa because it relied on the country's gold and uranium. After South African Prime Minister Daniel Malan described the marriage as "nauseating" and South Africa pressured for Seretse to be removed from his chieftainship, there was a fear that South Africa would impose economic sanctions on Botswana (then called Bechuanaland) or even invade the country. To thwart such action, Britain launched an investigation into Seretse's fitness to govern, a strategy to delay his accession to the throne. -People
No. In researching the A United Kingdom true story, we learned that the villainous civil servant Sir Alastair Canning, portrayed by Jack Davenport, was a fictional character created to represent the face of the British Government. At best, he could be compared to real-life Colonial Secretary Patrick Gordon Walker. Canning's sidekick in the film, district commissioner Rufus Lancaster (Tom Felton), is also fictional. -RadioTimes.com
Largely, no. In addition to protests in Botswana, the British people expressed anger over the decision and requests were made for Lord Salisbury, the minister responsible, to resign. Seretse thought he might be able to go home when the Conservatives came to power in Britain in 1951, but Winston Churchill instead extended the ban "indefinitely." -Telegraph.co.uk
The couple was allowed to return six years later in 1956, after the Bamangwato people sent a telegram to Queen Elizabeth II, which read, "The Bamangwato are sad. Over our land there is a great shadow blotting out the sun. Please put an end to our troubles. Send us our real Chief - the man born our Chief - Seretse." The letter worked, but the return didn't come without conditions. Seretse had to first relinquish his claim to the title. He and Ruth returned as private citizens. He tried his hand at civilian life raising cattle but eventually went back into politics. Their two twin sons, Anthony and Tshekedi, were born in 1958. -People
In many ways, yes. Seretse was denied his rightful ascension to the throne that had been waiting for him since his father died when he was 3 years old. After being exiled from his homeland for six years, he founded the political party that championed Botswana's independence and was elected the country's first prime minister and then its first democratically elected president. While there were certainly many other reasons that Botswana wanted its independence, Seretse becoming the pivotal champion of that cause might very well not have happened had he and Ruth not been slighted by Britain and he was allowed to become king. In the least, it undoubtedly lit a fire under Seretse and fueled passions in the country. -People.com
Yes. Seretse was a beloved and effective leader, helping Botswana evolve from having a reputation as the third poorest country in Africa to becoming known as a middle-income nation. He did this in part by harnessing the land for its rich minerals and diamonds. He also lowered taxes and put in place safeguards against corruption, something that was plaguing so many other African nations. He won consecutive elections in the 1970s but was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in 1980 and died of the disease that same year at age 59. Ruth remained in Botswana and passed away 22 years later in 2002 at age 78. Seretse's son, Ian Khama, was elected President of Botswana in 2009. -People.com
Yes. Ruth and Seretse's daughter Jacqueline's only criticism was that her father was less emotional in real life vs. the way he is depicted in A United Kingdom. Largely, the family was happy with the movie and its attempt to adhere to the true story. -Telegraph.co.uk
Yes. David Oyelowo, who portrays Seretse Khama in the movie, is married to Jessica Oyelowo (born Jessica Watson), a British actress. The pair married in 1998 and have four children together. Jessica sometimes even appears in her husband's films. She portrayed the fictional Lady Lilly Canning in A United Kingdom and starred as Meredith MacKenzie in Captive. Both David and Jessica are committed Christians, and David said that he often prays for guidance on which roles to take.
Dive deeper into the true story behind A United Kingdom by watching the documentary below.