Prince Harry and his wife Meghan Markle attended the Mandela Day celebration at the United Nations (UN) headquarters in New York City on Monday.
Addressing the UN Assembly, the Duke of Sussex delivered a moving speech as the keynote speaker, commemorating the life and legacy of Nelson Mandela and its impact on the global fight for ‘democracy and freedom’ today.
Prince Harry inspired by Nelson Mandela and his legacy
After thanking the UN and the Nelson Mandela Foundation for extending an invitation, the British royal first addressed the “legacy” that the anti-apartheid leader had left behind.
Prince Hary stated, “the letters he wrote alone in his prison cell, the speeches he delivered to his people and those incredible shirts he sported,” referencing Mandela’s infamous traditional style Buirski’s shirts.
Prince Harry revealed that he often turns to such moments for inspiration during the challenging times the world is currently facing.
“We’ve also come to know him through the photographs of a person who even when confronting unimaginable cruelty and justice, almost always had a smile on his face.”
– Prince Harry’s address to the UN
The Duke of Sussex then recalled a memorable photograph gifted to him and his wife by Archbishop Desmond Tutu during their 2019 visit to South Africa.
Prince Harry described how moved he was by “the joy on [his] mother’s face.” Harry continued to explain that the image shows “the pure delight to be in communion with another soul so committed to serving humanity. “
The prince further explained how the photograph motivated him as he spoke about Mandela’s life during the apartheid era in South Africa.
“He was a man with the weight of the world on his shoulders, asked to heal his country from the wreckage of its past and transform it for the future. A man who had endured the very worst of humanity, vicious racism and state-sponsored brutality.
“A man who had lost 27 years with his children and family that he would never get back. Yet in that photo and so many others, he is still beaming, still able to see the goodness in humanity, still buoyant with a beautiful spirit that lifted everyone around him,” he said.
Prince Harry then used the opportunity to highlight current issues that the world is facing. The duke referenced the US Supreme Court’s tightening of abortion restrictions as “rolling back of human rights,” briefly mentioned the war in Ukraine and criticised the circulation of misinformation.
The British royal then summed, “we are witnessing a global assault on democracy and freedom – the cause of Mandela’s life.”
Harry concluded his speech by asking for a commitment to celebrate Mandela’s life and legacy every day.
Prince Harry also faces backlash for his UN speech
Although many praised the British royal for his moving speech on Monday evening, he also received some negative responses.
MSNBC claimed that Prince Harry delivered “an insipid, cliché-laden” speech that “only further watered down the anti-apartheid icon’s story”.
The article questioned the attendance and keynote address from the member of the British royal family – a token of colonialism.
His speech was deemed inauthentic due to his prior controversies of using racial slurs, his Nazi costume and praising the Afghanistan war that took many lives. This raises the issue of how a British royal could acknowledge Mandela’s legacy in a refined manner that could hold white supremacy accountable for its reign in South Africa.
The duke gained backlash regarding his point on climate change “wreaking havoc on our planet, with the most vulnerable suffering most of all”.
Prince Harry and his wife Meghan Markel have faced scrutiny in the past for using private jets amid their climate change activism. Public opinions took to social media platforms to criticise the Prince’s actions at the UN as somewhat hypocritical.
Prince Harry received further outrage for criticising the United States in his speech. US Columnist Meghan McCain blasted the Duke of Sussex for slamming the Supreme Court repeal of the abortion legislation last month. McCain added that the prince had been living in the US for a short time, “yet he has decided that makes him an expert.”
