Westminster is set to welcome former presidents and prime ministers from around the world.

On Wednesday night Tony Blair will join former US president Bill Clinton, former South African president Nelson Mandela and former Australian prime minister Bob Hawke in the historic Westminster Hall to mark the centenary of the Rhodes Trust.

Around 1000 people are expected to join them at the event which will also see the official launch of the Mandela Rhodes Foundation.

The Rhodes scholarships were established in 1903 by Cecil Rhodes to give students from the English-speaking world the chance to study at Oxford University.

Alumni who have won scholarships includes both Clinton and Hawke.

Mandela hopes the new foundation will enable more South African students to benefit from an Oxford education.