Many of the world's most powerful and instantly recognisable figures and a concert audience of 46,664 will pay their tributes to one of the world's most loved leaders, Nobel Peace Prize Laureate and icon of freedom, Nelson 'Madiba' Mandela, as he turns 90 later this year.

Mr. Mandela will arrive in London in June to take part in a series of events to mark his birthday: a very rare occasion since he is now finally "retired from retirement."

Royalty and politicians from both sides of the Atlantic, leading names from business, sport, film and entertainment - and some of the most successful musicians of the past twenty years - make up the birthday list for three days of celebrations, culminating in a three-hour evening concert in London's Hyde Park on Friday, June 27, The London 46664 Concert Honouring Nelson Mandela at 90.

President Bill Clinton, Prime Minister Gordon Brown, Will Smith, Ms. Oprah Winfrey, Robert de Niro and Forest Whitaker are amongst those who will attend some of the events.

Lewis Hamilton, British Formula 1 driver for the Vodafone McLaren Mercedes Formula 1 team, will attend his very first 46664 concert in London in honour of Mandela’s 90th Birthday.

Artists specially invited to perform for Mr. Mandela at the Friday night 90th birthday concert will include 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 Italy's Zucchero and Spain's Amaral.

Joining them to celebrate the life of the world's most respected statesman will be South African and African artists including Johnny Clegg, Sipho Mabuse, multi-South African Music Awards winner Loyiso, Kurt Darren, the Soweto Gospel Choir, Aids orphan choir The Children of Agape – the subject of the award winning film feature 'We Are Together', the legendary Papa Wemba and Sudanese 'war child' rapper Emmanuel Jal.

The concert will feature numerous unexpected appearances, with several major artists keeping silent about their involvement in order to take both Mr. Mandela and the audience by surprise.

Among the specially chosen artists are many whom Nelson Mandela is recognising for having voiced their support for him over the past 20 years, dating back to London's historic Free Mandela concert of June 1988, which called for Mr. Mandela's release from incarceration on Robben Island and which Mr. Mandela has said gave him and his fellow prisoners great inspiration.

Simple Minds were instrumental in making the 1988 event happen. Annie Lennox appeared with The Eurythmics and has since become of one of the most active ambassadors for Mr. Mandela's 46664 AIDS organisation.

Mr. Mandela said at the announcement of the concert: "You all know that I am supposed to be retired but my friends and the charitable organizations that bear my name want to use my 90th birthday year to raise funds to continue our work and so of course I want to help them. So, we have a bargain -- I am going to London and they will host a concert in Hyde Park, which will raise awareness of our continuing work and much needed funds."

As his final public engagement on his visit to the UK, Mr. Mandela's appearance at the concert is sure to be emotional. In stepping down from his campaign work he will use the concert to deliver his message presented in the current 46664 campaign "It's in our hands", that he is handing over the 46664 mantle to each of us to carry forward on his behalf.

For tickets for the 46664 Nelson Mandela 90th birthday concert:
For presale tickets - register by 6pm GMT Tuesday, May 6 at www.46664.com. Tickets for the 46664 London concert on public sale Friday, May 9, at 9am at www.livenation.co.uk. General admission tickets are 65.00 pounds Sterling (plus booking fees).

Read our overview of Nelson Mandela 90th Birthday events and other events in June and get our Editor Pick's newsletter with the latest updates. CapeTownMagazine.com will release a special Google Earth Map with locations related to Nelson Mandela.