The comparison that Meghan Markle made between her royal wedding and his grandfather’s release from jail has drawn criticism from one of Nelson Mandela’s grandsons.
In a recent interview with The Cut, Meghan, 41, recalled hearing that the delight after Nelson “Madiba” Mandela’s release was comparable to the responses to her marriage to Prince Harry from the general population.
Markle claimed that a South African cast member approached her as she was at the 2019 London premiere of the live-action adaptation of “The Lion King.”
“He looked at me, and he’s just like light. He said, ‘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,'” Meghan recalled.
Mandela’s grandson responded by saying that his grandfather’s release from prison after 27 years cannot be compared to Meghan and Harry’s wedding.
Zwelivelile Mandela told the DailyMail: “Madiba’s celebration was based on overcoming 350 years of colonialism with 60 years of a brutal apartheid regime in South Africa.”
He added: “It cannot be equated to as the same.”
Zwelivelile, 48, expressed his surprise at Markle’s most recent remarks.
He asserted that Meghan’s marriage “to a white prince” was less significant and less grave than the street dance South Africans did in 1990 to celebrate the release of his grandfather after 27 years in prison.
He said: “We are still bearing scars of the past. But [Nelson Mandela’s celebrations were] a product of the majority of our people being brought out onto the streets to exercise the right of voting for the first time.”
A number of South Africans also took offense at Meghan’s statement.
The hashtag #VoetsekMeghan even started trending on Twitter in South Africa. “Voetsek” is an Afrikaans word meaning “go away” or “get lost.”
Nelson Mandela’s grandson slams Meghan Markle for comparing her wedding to Nelson Mandela
“No one was rejoicing in the streets of South Africa when she got married. For her to imply that it was the same as when President Mandela was released is the utmost disrespect,” one person tweeted.
“I cannot believe that race baiter had the gall, the bloody liberty and the absolute audacity to equate her pathetic over privileged life to the suffering and release of Nelson Mandela,” another tweeted.
