Duke and Duchess of Sussex to visit Mandela exhibition

Updated

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex are to visit a major exhibition about the life of Nelson Mandela being staged in the centenary year of his birth.

Harry and Meghan will tour the exhibition, at the Southbank Centre's Queen Elizabeth Hall, which traces Mr Mandela's career from activist to president through six themes: character, comrade, leader, prisoner, negotiator and statesman.

It is the first time the exhibition will be shown in the UK after successful runs in various forms around the world, including six weeks at the Paris Town Hall in 2013.

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.

"We are delighted the duke and duchess will be supporting it."

Harry visited Mr Mandela's cell, where he spent 18 years imprisoned by the apartheid regime, during a trip to South Africa's Robben Island, and he also toured the statesman's offices and met his widow Graca Machel in 2015.

During their visit to the South Bank, the duke and duchess will tour the exhibition and at each themed panel will meet people associated with the displays and Mr Mandela's work.

The guests include 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.

Items on display include a Collected Works of Shakespeare, which was smuggled onto Robben Island and features annotations made by Mr Mandela and his contemporaries.

There is also 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, he thanks the British public for their "overwhelming generosity".

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