MARK OF RESPECT
Meghan Markle meets Nelson Mandela’s granddaughter as she and Prince Harry pay tribute to South African icon at London exhibition
MEGHAN Markle today met Nelson Mandela's granddaughter as she and Prince Harry paid tribute to the anti-apartheid icon at an exhibition dedicated to his incredible life.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex looked at artwork and met special guests including Zamaswazi Dlamini-Mandela at the Southbank Centre in central London today.
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Ms Dlamini-Mandela, 39, a fashion designer and entrepreneur, shook hands and spoke with the Duchess, who looked radiant in a £623 blush pink sleeveless jacket dress by House of Nonie teamed with matching nude court shoes.
Harry wore a grey suit as he attended the free exhibition depicting the life of Mr Mandela — who met Princess Diana during a private visit to South Africa in 1997 just months before her tragic death.
The exhibit, which opens to the public today, charts Mr Mandela's career from activist to president through six themes — character, comrade, leader, prisoner, negotiator and statesman.
It commemorates the hundredth year of his birth and is the first time the exhibition has been shown in the UK after successful runs around the world.
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South African icon - the life and times of Nelson Mandela
Nelson Mandela died at his home in Johannesburg on 5 December, 2013, aged 95.
In 1962, while he led the anti-apartheid African National Congress (ANC), he was arrested for conspiring to overthrow the state and sentenced to life imprisonment in the Rivonia Trial.
It came to symbolise the prison that black South Africans were literally living in under the apartheid system.
In 1990, after 27 years in jail for trying to overthrow the unjust regime, Mandela walked free and four years later became the reborn nation’s leader.
Along with President FW de Klerk - who ended apartheid - jointly won the Nobel Peace Prize and on April 27 1994 he voted for the first time in his life.
Keeping to his promise, the leader served one term during which time he aimed to forge a forward looking and inclusive democracy designed to move on from the past.
From then until his death, despite his advancing years, he worked in on charitable projects helping poor children.
Harry and Meghan were due to meet guests including Thembi Tambo, South Africa's High Commissioner to the UK and daughter of anti-apartheid politician Oliver Tambo, who was a close colleague of Mr Mandela.
One of the items on display is a letter of thanks from the statesman to the British public written on April 16, 1990 - the day Mr Mandela attended the Wembley concert held in his honour.
In it, he thanks the British public for their "overwhelming generosity".
Other items include a Collected Works of Shakespeare, which was smuggled onto Robben Island and features annotations made by Mr Mandela and his contemporaries.
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Pretty in pink - where Meghan's stunning dress is from
Meghan Markle is back to wearing her favourite pink shade today and ensured all eyes were on her as she showed off her shoulders in a strapless trench coat.
The Duchess of Sussex stole the show in a blush-coloured £623 coat/dress hybrid from Canadian-based luxury designer label House of Nonie.
She has once again taken a leaf out of Kate Middleton’s book, and opted for a blush calfskin clutch bag – the £750 Clifton bag from Mulberry.
And excellent news for those who love a fashion bargain, the bag is currently in the sale for £600.
The royal has paired the look with nude heels, and is wearing her hair in her trademark “messy Markle” bun.
Leading former anti-apartheid campaigner Lord Peter Hain, who is chair of the Nelson Mandela Centenary Exhibition, welcomed the royal support.
He said: "The Mandela Centenary Exhibition at Queen Elizabeth Hall, Southbank Centre, which is free to visitors from 17 July - 19 August, will depict the anti-apartheid freedom struggle and Mandela's vision of a non-racial rainbow democracy based upon justice, equality and human rights.
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"We are delighted the duke and duchess will be supporting it."
Prince Harry visited Mandela’s cell where he spent 18 years imprisoned by the apartheid regime on a 2015 trip to South Africa’s Robben Island.
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