[2][3][4] Born into an influential royal family of what was then the British protectorate of Bechuanaland, he was educated abroad in the neighbouring country of South Africa[3] and then in the United Kingdom.

The interracial marriage sparked a furore,[3] alarming both the Union of South Africa, which had established legal apartheid (racial segregation), and the tribal elders of the Bamangwato, who were angered he had not chosen one of their women.

Since Bechuanaland was then a British protectorate (not a colony), the South African government immediately tried to exert pressure on the UK to have Khama removed from his chieftainship.

The Attlee ministry, Britain's Labour-led government, then heavily in debt from World War II, could not afford to lose cheap South African gold and uranium supplies.

In the 1961 Birthday Honours, he was recognised for his services as tribal secretary by his appointment as an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE).

His exile gave him an increased credibility with an independence-minded electorate, and the BDP swept aside its Socialist and Pan-Africanist rivals to dominate the 1965 elections.

As Prime Minister of Bechuanaland, Khama continued to push for Botswana's independence while based in the newly established capital of Gaborone.

[1] Ten days prior to this, Elizabeth II had promoted Khama within the Order of the British Empire, appointing him a Knight Commander (KBE).

[25] Khama set out on a vigorous economic programme intended to transform the nation into an export-based economy, built around beef, copper and diamonds.

Khama promised low and stable taxes to mining companies, liberalized trade, and increased personal freedoms.

[24] He upheld liberal democracy and non-racism in the midst of a region embroiled in civil war, racial enmity and corruption.

[26] The small public service was transformed into an efficient and relatively corruption-free bureaucracy with workers hired based on merit.

Mining companies were encouraged to search the country for more resources, leading to the discovery of additional copper, nickel, and coal deposits.

The government used these revenues to heavily invest in the expansion of infrastructure, health care, and the education system, resulting in further economic development.

With Khama's direct intervention, it negotiated a lucrative trade deal with the European Economic Community, gaining prices far above world levels.

[citation needed] The Botswana Development Corporation was established in 1970 to attract foreign investment in crop agriculture, tourism, and the secondary sector.

[25][28] Due to Khama's dedication to development, very little was spent on defence, and a small military police force was initially formed in place of an army.

[37] Twenty-eight years after Khama's death, his son Ian succeeded Festus Mogae as the fourth president of Botswana;[5] in the 2009 general election he won a landslide victory.

[39] The 2016 film A United Kingdom, directed by Amma Asante and written by Guy Hibbert, told the story of the controversies that surrounded Khama's marriage.

[40] Furthermore, it has also been suggested that Sir Seretse's relationship with Lady Khama influenced the writers of the Oscar-winning film Guess Who's Coming to Dinner, which starred Spencer Tracy, Katharine Hepburn and Sidney Poitier.

[42] Mma Ramotswe, the series' protagonist, greatly admires him, compares him with Nelson Mandela and very much regrets the fact of his not being so well known internationally.