Inside the Meghan Markle and Nelson Mandela fiasco: she compared her royal wedding to Prince Harry with the activist’s prison release and his family isn’t happy – neither are South African netizens
- In an interview with The Cut, the Duchess of Sussex claimed a South African cast member from The Lion King said the nation celebrated her wedding just like they did Mandela’s release
- Nelson Mandela’s grandson Mandla had plenty to say; the only South African actor on the film set, John Kani, said he’s never even met Markle; and #VoetsekMeghan trended on social media …
Meghan Markle hardly does media interviews, but when she does decide to speak up, everything she says gets dissected. In her most recent interview with The Cut, she said a South African cast member from the live-action version of The Lion King had compared celebrations in South Africa after her marriage to Prince Harry to the same as when freedom fighter Nelson Mandela was released.
Her recollection of the interaction and the comparison have drawn sharp criticism. Here’s what you need to know.
What did Meghan Markle say to The Cut?
In the interview, the story’s writer, Allison P. Davis, observed that Markle recognises what her marriage to Prince Harry means to black Brits, although the duchess told The Cut that she doesn’t read the press about her.
Markle went on to say that when she was at the 2019 London premiere of the live-action version of The Lion King, a cast member from South Africa told her: “When you married into this family [the British royal family], we rejoiced in the streets the same we did when Mandela was freed from prison.”
“I find myself worrying that the words I write about her will be misinterpreted and dissected – rudely, maliciously – too,” Davis wrote. Well, that certainly seems to be what has happened on some level …
Mandla Mandela’s criticism
