Prince Harry and his wife, Meghan Markle are on Netflix’s radar to film an at-home reality series after the runaway success of the Duke of Sussex’s memoir, ‘Spare’. Image/ Netflix
Voetsek? 5 Times Meghan and Harry upset South Africans
Meghan and Harry may have plenty of royal fans, but many South Africans are ‘gatvol’ of them. Here are 5 times they upset Mzansi…
Prince Harry and his wife, Meghan Markle are on Netflix’s radar to film an at-home reality series after the runaway success of the Duke of Sussex’s memoir, ‘Spare’. Image/ Netflix
Meghan and Harry may have royal fans around the world, but when it’s safe to say that many South Africans are gatvol of them.
Since ditching the Royal Family in 2020, the couple has done their best to fund their own lifestyle – but at what expense?
With deals with Netflix, Spotify, bombshell books and interviews, and the couple’s massive media drive – a far cry from the private life they sought away from the Monarchy – has rubbed many people up the wrong way.
FIVE TIMES MEGHAN AND HARRY ANNOYED SOUTH AFRICANS
The “fire” in South Africa
In the first episode of her Spotify podcast Archetypes, Meghan Markle recanted a 2019 royal trip to SA and how a room her baby son Archie was supposed to be napping in almost “caught on fire.”
Meghan also alleges that royal aides forced her and Harry to continue their engagements after the “fire.” This, despite her family being “shaken” and “in tears.”
However, royal reporter Rob Jobson shut down the claims, telling Australian TV show Sunrise: “I was on that trip.
“There were no reports in any of the papers or anything about fire engines being called to the residence. The simple truth is that they weren’t”.
ALSO READ: ‘I was there, I don’t recall ANY fire’: Reporter slams Meghan’s story
Housing unit, mud cloth
Adding insult to injury, Meghan also referred to their SA residence – a nine-bedroom mansion of the British High Commissioner – as a “housing unit.”
Then there was the fact that she purposely mentioned little Archie’s nanny was a Zimbabwean who used a “mud cloth” (baby sling) to carry him around.
ALSO READ: ‘She must never come here again’: Tweeps tell Meghan to ‘voetsek’
Our “sister”
During her trip to SA, Meghan addressed a group of women in the Nyanga township, telling them: “I am here with you as a mother, as a wife, as a woman, as a woman of colour, and as your sister.”
The comment offended many South Africans, who claimed that Meghan had benefited from “white privilege” for many years.
Meghan Markle does not care about black people. It disgusted me while in South Africa she referred to herself as their “sister.” She has lived as a white woman her entire life and only ever dated white men. This definitely was a photo op.
— Black Out (@Black_Out_ABE) May 27, 2022
NAME-DROPPING MANDELA
Comparing the royal wedding to Mandela’s prison release
In an August interview with The Cut, Meghan reflected on how a production cast member of The Lion King had approached her and revealed how South Africans had “likened” her royal wedding to a historically significant moment in the country.
In her interview, she said, “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.”
But the comments had South Africans, including Nelson Mandela’s grandson Mandla, offended and annoyed.
Speaking to MailOnline, Mandla clapped back: “Overcoming 60 years of apartheid is not the same as marrying a white prince”.
He added: “The problem I have is when I look at Meghan, it always seems about the money…to me, that was the opposite of Mandela.”
ALSO READ: Mandla shades Meghan again: ‘It’s always about the money’
‘Making millions’ off Mandela
Hot on the heels of Meghan and Harry’s docuseries Live To Lead – inspired by Nelson Mandela – another member of the freedom fighter’s family had something to say
Granddaughter Ndileka Mandela told The Australian that she was “upset” at the couple’s attempt to “make millions” off his legacy.
She said: “I’ve made peace with people using grandad’s name, but it’s still deeply upsetting and tedious every time it happens.”
She continued: “Harry needs to be authentic and stick to his own story. What relevance does grandad’s life have with his? I don’t believe he nor Meghan have ever properly met granddad, maybe when Harry was young at Buckingham Palace. But they are using his quotations in the documentary to draw in people and make millions without the Mandela family benefiting”.
She added of the Netflix series: “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.”
ALSO READ: ‘Upsetting’: Mandela slams Meghan, Harry for ‘profiting’ off name
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