Meghan Markle criticised by a Mandela family member for her recent remark

Meghan Markle recently did an interview with a US magazine—The Cut. And just like any public statements given by the Duchess, her interview has sparked criticism in the UK tabloids. During her interview, she recalls an interview where she was compared with South African freedom fighter—Nelson Mandela.

How did it happen?

Meghan Markle and Prince Harry had attended the London premiere of the live-action remake of Disney's The Lion King two months after Archie’s birth. According to Newsweek, Meghan recalled an anecdote about a conversation she had with a South African performer in 2019 during that event.

She told the journalist Allison P. Davis—who conducted the interview—that people in South Africa had celebrated her marriage to Prince Harry. Meghan revealed that a South African cast member from the production told her:

I just need you to know: When you married into this family, we rejoiced in the streets the same we did when Mandela was freed from prison.

Nelson Mandela’s grandson and member of parliament for the African National Congress — Zwelivelile 'Mandla' Mandela, has objected to the statement.

Zwelivelile Mandela's thoughts

Nelson Mandela was the apartheid movement's idol and was largely responsible for laying the groundwork for a free South Africa. After serving 27 years in prison, he was elected as the country's first black president, received the Nobel Peace Prize, and is now regarded as one of history's most beloved leaders.

Claiming that the celebrations of a royal wedding and those marking Nelson Mandela’s freedom struggle for 27-years-long political imprisonment cannot be the same in any way. Zwelivelile 'Mandla' Mandela said:

Madiba's celebration was based on overcoming 350 years of colonialism with 60 years of a brutal apartheid regime in South Africa.

So, it cannot be equated to as the same.

He also added that the celebration in South Africa in 1990 for Nelson Mandela was for a more significant cause than Meghan's marriage to a ‘white prince.’

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