Former South African president Nelson Mandela arrived in Britain Monday ahead of a celebrity-studded concert to be staged for his 90th birthday Friday.

The elder statesman is expected to host a dinner party with celebrities and world leaders on Wednesday including British Prime Minister Gordon Brown, the South African Press Association reported on Monday.

His birthday concert, featuring the group Queen, Leona Lewis, Annie Lennox and Dame Shirley Bassey - among others - will be staged in Hyde Park on June 27.

There will also be South African music from the Soweto Gospel Choir, said the report.

(Xinhua News Agency June 25, 2008)