The granddaughter of Nelson Mandela has accused people of making a “mountain out of a molehill” over the Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s use of his quotes in a Netflix show.
The couple’s own 'Harry & Meghan' documentary launched on Netflix last month over a week, becoming one of the most-watched series in its history.
Its follow-up, Live to Lead, used a quote made by the late South African anti-apartheid activist, which reads: “This was inspired by Nelson Mandela... who once said what counts in life is not the mere fact that we have lived.”
Its use was criticised by some, but his granddaughter Ndileka shrugged off suggestions she was unhappy and defended the duke and duchess.
She told Fox News : “I honestly don’t find anything wrong with them using that opening thing inspirational with a quote of granddad.
"I just think that people are making a … mountain out of a molehill, and they’re wanting to persecute Meghan and Harry for no reason, honestly.
"I mean, Meghan has always been an activist, and this is in her activism work which my grandfather was, he was, a social justice activist through and through."
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex both executive produced and appeared in the series Live to Lead, which takes a look at influential leaders throughout history and how they changed the world.
Following on from the success of their documentary series - which beat The Crown in the ratings - Live to Lead is the second Netflix project from Harry, 38, and Meghan, 41, as part of their multi-million pound deal with the streaming giant.
Released on New Year's Eve, the collaboration from the Sussexes and the Mandela Foundation focuses on the stories of inspirational leaders, such as Swedish activist Greta Thunberg, New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern, and the late Nelson Mandela.
But while their six-part docu-series Harry & Meghan became the UK's most-watched subscription TV series of 2022, despite only being released in the last month of the year, follow-up series Live to Lead hasn't yet made similar huge waves following its release.
A PR expert who goes by the social media alias Royal Tea claimed: “It is one of the first tests commercially of their brand strategy to pull people in [with] personal drama and hope they stay for the philanthropy.
“With little to no PR, a Saturday/holiday release, and no gossip to drive organic press, it didn’t even crack the Top 100 TV shows.”
"The way it’s being handled feels like a throwaway project to fulfil a contract.
“Maybe they had to hit a certain number of Netflix projects by the end of this year."
