Between bomb and information bomb as a result of the statements made in their controversial six-part documentary on Netflix, Enrique de Inglaterra and Megan Markle premiered on December 31 the documentary series
Líderes de nuestro tiempo
, of which they are executive producers, and which forms part of his juicy content creation contract for Netflix that is estimated at 100 million dollars (about 94 million euros at current exchange rates).
In
Leaders of Our Time
, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex appear in the shadows -which is why neither its premiere nor its content has transcended like its previous documentary- giving voice to characters "committed to changing the world" and who "share their inspiring stories", according to the synopsis.
Among these characters we find the young activist against climate change Greta Thunberg, the late Supreme Court judge Ruth Bader Ginsburg or the Prime Minister of New Zealand, Jacinda Ardern.
Prince Harry does appear in the promotional trailer, where he pronounces some words that have generated controversy: "This is inspired by Nelson Mandela."
These words have not pleased Ndileka Mandela, granddaughter of the South African activist and politician who died in December 2013, who, in a statement in
The Australian
, has accused the media dukes of "stealing" her grandfather's words to "become millionaires". .
"Enrique has to be authentic and look for his own story, what relevance does my grandfather's life have with his?" Ndileka Mandela declared.
“I don't think he or Meghan ever met my grandfather,” she continued, “perhaps when Harry was young at Buckingham Palace, but they are using their quotes in the documentary to attract people and make millions without the family Mandela benefits."
More information
Henry of England and Meghan Markle or when the perfect story doesn't give more than itself
Mandela Ndileka has been annoyed that the couple seemed to compare their own battles within the British royal family to their grandfather's long walk to freedom, calling the comparison "annoying and tedious."
"It can't be compared.
I know that the Nelson Mandela Foundation has supported the documentary initiative, but people have stolen my grandfather's quotes for years and have used his legacy because they know that his name sells: Harry and Meghan are no different from them ” .
She has also added that although she admires Prince Harry for "having the courage to break with an institution like the British crown", she believes that "everything comes with a price" and now she must "finance his own life".
In the trailer for
Leaders of Our Time,
which has indeed been co-produced by the Nelson Mandela Foundation, Enrique recovers one of Mandela's most remembered quotes: "What counts in life is not the mere fact of having lived."
Later, it is Meghan Markle who finishes the sentence: "It is the difference we have made in the lives of others that will determine the meaning of the life we lead."
With uplifting music that builds to
a crescendo,
the protagonists of each episode appear, along with iconic images of Nelson Mandela, such as his release from prison in 1990. “This is about people who have made courageous decisions,” continues Enrique.
“That they have fought for change and have become leaders,” adds Meghan.
And Enrique ends: "And they inspired us all, to live and to lead."
It is not the first time that the Duke and Duchess of Sussex have faced criticism for making a somewhat risky comparison between themselves and the figure of Nelson Mandela.
At the end of August 2022, Meghan Markle gave an in-depth interview to the American magazine
The Cut,
where she assured that during the London premiere of the
remake
of the Disney classic
The Lion King
, in 2019, a cast member approached her to compare their wedding, held in May 2018, with the 1990 release of the South African politician who marked the end of
apartheid
.
"I have to tell you: we rejoiced in the streets the same as when Mandela was released from jail," he would have assured him, according to Markle herself.
The anecdote, buried in a lengthy and friendly profile of the duchess, caught the attention of the British media, who were quick to cross-reference the information with the film's actors.
Only one South African actor appeared on the tape, John Kani, who voiced the character of Rafiki, and said he did not know her personally: “I have never met Meghan Markle.
This seems like some kind of misstep on her part.
I am the only South African member of the cast and I did not attend the London premiere."
John Kani, who was an activist during the harshest years of
apartheid
and also a personal friend of Mandela's, noted that the comparison, regardless of whether someone actually made it, was far-fetched and "disconcerting."
The release of the South African politician, after 27 years in captivity, was a "historic moment" while Markle's marriage to Prince Harry was "nothing to write home about" in South Africa.
The two events "cannot be compared," she continued: "People don't remember where she was or what she was doing when Meghan married Harry."
Since Netflix released the long-awaited documentary series on Prince Henry of England and his wife, Meghan Markle, on December 8, where the protagonists told their love story in the first person —from their first dates and the engagement of the prince and the exactriz until their decision to leave the United Kingdom and be independent from the royal family—, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex have not stopped grabbing headlines in the British and international media.
It is no wonder: what was described as "incendiary" documentary of the
royals
will be followed in a few days by the "incendiary" biography of the prince, written by the author and journalist JR Moehringer, which will be published next Tuesday, January 10.
Cover of 'In the Shadow', the memoirs of Prince Henry of England.
As Netflix did with the documentary, the Penguin Random House publishing house in England (in Spain it will be published by Plaza&Janés) also uses secrecy to avoid leaks, following a security protocol that has already been compared to that of the launch of the literary saga. from Harry Potter.
Despite this, some British media and tabloids have echoed comments from anonymous sources who have had access to the book, calling it "more damaging to the royal family than they expect."
Leaders of our time
appears between the documentary and the book as a minor title, an opportunity for the Duke and Duchess of Sussex to stop talking about themselves to show the causes that move them.
However, an appearance of a few seconds in the trailer has been enough to generate a new controversy.
It is proven that, when it comes to Enrique and Meghan, everything they touch becomes news.
