Nelson Mandela grandson questions claim South Africa celebrated Meghan’s wedding like grandfather’s freedom

Nelson Mandela’s grandson said he was “surprised” by suggestions the Duchess of Sussex’s wedding ignited the same jubilation in South Africa as his grandfather’s release from prison.

Anti-apartheid activist Mandela - revered worldwide as a man of peace and forgiveness - was freed from prison in 1990 after 27 years and went on to become president of South Africa.

In an interview with The Cut published this week, Meghan, Duchess of Sussex said she was told her marriage to Prince Harry in 2018 was met with the same joy in South Africa as when Mandela was released.

But Mandela’s grandson told MailOnline that the two “cannot be equated”.

Meghan said the comparison between Mandela and her marriage into the royal family was made at the 2019 premiere of The Lion King in London.

"I just had Archie,” she told The Cut. “It was such a cruel chapter. I was scared to go out.”

Describing how a South African cast member pulled her aside, she recalled: "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 Mandela’s grandson Zwelivelile ‘Mandla’ Mandela has hit back at this, saying he was “surprised” by the remark.

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Speaking to MailOnline, he said the emotions accompanying the release of his grandfather - widely nicknamed Madiba - “can never be compared to the celebration of someone’s wedding”.

He reportedly added: “Madiba’s celebration was based on overcoming 350 years of colonialism with 60 years of a brutal apartheid regime in South Africa. So it cannot be equated.

“Every day there are people who want to be Nelson Mandela.

“But before people can regard themselves as Nelson Mandelas, they should be looking into the work that he did and be able to be champions and advocates of the work that he himself championed.”