Simon Mann’s fiancée leads mourners in paying tribute to the colourful mercenary who was previously jailed for his role in the failed 2004 Wonga Coup.
The life of Old Etonian Mann, 72, who was an adventurer and brewing heir, was celebrated at a memorial service at the Guards Chapel in central London.
During his life, the former SAS officer was one of 70 mercenaries arrested in Zimbabwe for attempting to stage a coup in oil-rich Equatorial Guinea in 2004.
Sir Mark Thatcher, son of former Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, was later arrested in South Africa, after admitting to being a part in the coup attempt.
On May 8, 2025, Mann suffered a fatal cardiac arrest and died in the arms of his bride-to-be Negar Yazdani.
Now, the lawyer, 50, leads the way at his memorial, wearing the heart necklace he gave her shortly after their relationship bloomed two years ago.
Alongside her, is the mercenary’s third wife, Amanda, who is the mother to four of his seven children.
After his release from Equatorial Gunea’s notorious Black prison, where Mann was jailed for his part in the coup, he was reunited with Amanda, but they split last year.
Simon Mann’s partner Negar Yazdani at the Guards Chapel in Central London today for his memorial service
The former mercenary, 72, suffered a fatal cardiac arrest and died in the arms of his fiancée Negar Yazdani
His polo-paying son from his first marriage, Jack, who was previously named as Prince Harry’s ‘real best man’, was also present at his father’s memorial service.
Wearing a dark blue suit, with a matching red and blue tie, Jack, held on to an order of service, poking fun at his time in Black Rock, the coup and his time in the forces.
In the illustration, Mann can be seen walking up the steps to heaven’s gate with a myriad of angels surrounding him holding signs which read, ‘Equatorial Guinea’, ‘Eton Pop’, ‘Scots Guards’, and ‘SAS’.
On the bottom of the card a message reads ‘…Explain yourself!’, while nearby a sign pointing downwards says ‘Black Rock’, referring to the prison he was previously jailed for his part in the failed 2004 Wonga Coup.
At his memorial, Negar said: ‘Simon’s memorial was a beautiful celebration of a remarkable life.
‘I am grateful to his friends, family, and former colleagues who travelled from across the world to honour him — a true testament to the deep respect and love he inspired.
‘Simon was not only a great man, but a legend and a hero whose legacy will continue to live on in the hearts of all who knew him.
‘I will miss his zest for life, mischievous humour, boundless energy, unwavering loyalty, love, and kindness — qualities that defined him and touched everyone around him.’
In 1952, Mann was born into a life of privilege and had a distinguished military career before his entanglement in the coup.
His polo-paying son from his first marriage, Jack, who was previously named as Prince Harry’s ‘real best man’ was also present at his father’s memorial service
The former SAS officer’s third wife, Amanda, who is the mother to four of his seven children also honoured the ex-SAS officer
His father George captained the England cricket team in the 1940s and was an heir to the Watney Mann brewing empire.
After Sandhurst, he served in the Scots Guards and SAS in Cyprus, Germany, Norway and Northern Ireland, volunteering as a reservist in the first Gulf war in 1991.
In 1996, Mann formed the mercenary or ‘Private Military Company’ Sandline with former Scots Guards Colonel Tim Spicer, operating in Angola, Sierra Leone.
In 2004, Mann hit the headlines when he and 69 other ex-soldiers were arrested during a stop-off at Harare Airport to be loaded with £100k of weapons and equipment intended to engineer the coup in Equatorial Guinea and overthrow the government of President Teodoro Obiang.
Mann and the other conspirators claimed they were merely flying to the Democratic Republic of Congo to provide security for diamond mines, but after a trial in Harare, he was given seven years for attempting to buy arms for an alleged coup, while 66 other men were acquitted.
Thatcher, nicknamed ‘Scratcher’, meanwhile, was arrested at home in Cape Town and eventually pleaded guilty to ‘negligently supplying financial assistance’ to the plot.
The coup was financed by Lebanese fixer Eli Calil, nicknamed ‘Smelly’ by his ex-public school co-conspirators, who later died falling downstairs at his home in Holland Park, West London.
President Obiang promised that he would eat Mann’s testicles and drag his naked body through the streets, should he ever get the chance.
Later in 2007, a court in Zimbabwe ruled that Mann should be extradited to Equatorial Guinea after a shady agreement between the two governments branded the ‘Oil for Mann’ deal.
The then Zimbabwe president Robert Mugabe secured a large amount of oil from Guinea, widely believed to be in return for sending Mann north to meet his fate.
Multi-millionaire Mann was thrown into the notorious Black Beach Prison, where he was clapped in leg irons and would serve less than two years of a 34-year sentence,
However, during his stay he suffered with malaria several times and was caged in a tiny cell in solitary confinement.
In the UK, his loyal wife Amanda, fought with others for her husband’s release, wearing a T-shirt emblazoned with the slogan: ‘A man is for Christmas. Not for life.’
In 2009 he was granted a ‘complete pardon on humanitarian grounds’ by President Obiang, the man he had tried to depose.
He later settled in the New Forest with his wife Amanda, but the couple were reported to have split in 2024.
He later struck up a relationship with Negar, who he had planned to marry after his decree absolute, which was due in August, was granted.
‘Simon asked me if I would seriously consider marrying him very early on. We were in Mauritius, on a beach. I said yes,’ she said in September.
In the illustration, Mann can be seen walking up the steps to heaven’s gate with a myriad of angels surrounding him holding signs which read, ‘Equatorial Guinea’, ‘Eton Pop’, ‘Scots Guards’, and ‘SAS’.
‘He promised he’d propose properly once he was free, with a ruby, my birthstone. He told me that he never wore a wedding band but that with me he wanted to, and would be proud to.’
‘People write about Simon and his exploits as if it was still 20 years ago but he was a very changed man.
Of the morning he died, she added: ‘He took my hand, and said: “Look me in the eye. I want you to know I’m the happiest I have ever been and all the pain I have had in my life has been worth it to meet you and have this. I cherish every moment with you and I want many more”.’
‘For the first time he wanted a family life which didn’t involve flying off to a conflict in Africa.
‘The night before he died, we went shopping for dinner at Waitrose and sat down to watch Downton Abbey, something with no blood and no war. He knew what he’d been missing.
‘He was teaching himself to cook, had just mastered a chicken kiev, he was re-reading the compete works of Shakespeare and would recite Kipling’s poetry to me; he was studying science, and was on top of AI and new tech.
‘I think in his seventies he wanted to make up for a past filled with adventures by having a quiet, happy life with someone he loved.’
