Harry and Meghan 'stole' Nelson Mandela's words in a bid to make 'millions', anti-apartheid icon's granddaughter says
4 January 2023, 13:20 | Updated: 4 January 2023, 13:34
Nelson Mandela's granddaughter has accused Harry and Meghan of stealing her grandfather's words to make money for themselves.
In Harry and Meghan's Netflix documentary 'Live to Lead', footage of Mandela leaving prison in 1990 is featured, while the Duke of Sussex quotes the former South African president, saying: "What counts in life is not the mere fact that we’ve lived".
Meghan appears on screen and finishes the full quote: "It is what difference we have made to the lives of others that will determine the significance of the life we lead."
Ndileka Mandela, 57, is 'upset and troubled' that the Sussexes would compare their own issues with the Royal Family with her grandfather's fight for freedom.
She told The Australian: "That's chalk and cheese, there is no comparison. I know the Nelson Mandela Foundation has supported the initiative but people have stolen grandfather's quotes for years and have used his legacy because they know his name sells – Harry and Meghan are no different from them.
"I admire Harry for having the confidence to break away from an institution as iconic as the Royal Family. Grandad rebelled against an arranged marriage to find his own path in life.
"But it comes at a price, you have to then fund your own life, I've made peace with people using granddad's name but it's still deeply upsetting and tedious every time it happens."
The Sussexes' new documentary is part of a $100m deal with Netflix and was released shortly weeks after their 'Harry & Meghan' documentary.
The Duke of Sussex's memoir is also due to come out on January 10. The book is called Spare and is described by the publisher as "his story at last". The Duke of Sussex will support British charities with donations from the proceeds.
Publisher Penguin Random House said: "Spare takes readers immediately back to one of the most searing images of the 20th century: two young boys, two princes, walking behind their mother's coffin as the world watched in sorrow and horror.
"As Diana, Princess of Wales was laid to rest, billions wondered what the princes must be thinking and feeling - and how their lives would play out from that point on. For Harry, this is his story at last."
Penguin adds: “With its raw, unflinching honesty, Spare is a landmark publication full of insight, revelation, self-examination, and hard-won wisdom about the eternal power of love over grief.”
