Harry and Meghan had to ‘find their own voice’ like Nelson Mandela, says his granddaughter

Ndileka Mandela says people should be allowed to walk different journeys in life
Ndileka Mandela says people should be allowed to walk different journeys in life - WIKUS DE WET/AFP
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Harry and Meghan had to “find their own voice” in the same way Nelson Mandela did after fleeing an arranged marriage, his granddaughter has said.

Ndileka Mandela, a social activist, said the Duke and Duchess of Sussex should be allowed “room to voice out whatever their misgivings are” about their life in the Royal family.

She made the comments as the Duke and Duchess remain silent over the controversy surrounding King Charles and the Princess of Wales being named as the senior members of the Royal family who allegedly discussed the skin colour of their unborn son, Archie.

Their identities first emerged in the Dutch translation of the book Endgame by Omid Scobie. It has since been withdrawn from sale, with publishers blaming a translation error.

Speaking on the BBC’s Sunday With Laura Kuenssberg programme, Ms Mandela, 58, compared their situation to that of her grandfather who fled to Johannesburg in 1941 after learning his guardian had set up an arranged marriage.

Asked if she believes Harry and Meghan were victims of racism in this country, she said they should be given the chance to speak out about their concerns.

Ms Mandela said: “I believe that Harry and Meghan had to find their own voice, in a similar way that grandad had to find his own voice when he had to run away from an arranged marriage.

“So they should be given, like any other person, room to voice out whatever their misgivings are. I cannot speak to whether Harry and Meghan’s children have been discriminated. I don’t have first-hand information of that.

“However, I can say that he should be allowed to voice out whatever it is that he wants to voice out and to choose his own path. Had grandad not chosen his own path when he ran away from an arranged marriage, we would not have the South Africa that we talk about today.

“So people should be allowed to present different journeys and should be allowed to walk different journeys in life.”

Her comments came as it emerged Parliament could consider stripping Prince Harry and his wife Meghan of their Royal titles under legislation proposed this week.

Bob Seely, Conservative MP for the Isle of Wight, has said the House of Commons should consider the “nuclear option” of denying the couple their Duke and Duchess standing amid the racism row.

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