Meghan Markle and Prince Harry visited the District 6 Museum in Cape Town to learn more about the history of apartheid.
The couple got a warm hug from an 81-year-old fan named Somaya Ebrahim, who was in the crowds when the Duke’s grandmother the Queen first visited Cape Town with her parents and sister in 1947.
The fan asked the couple: ‘Where’s Archie? To which the Royal couple responded that he was sleeping.
Somaya was just nine years old when she waved her flag for King George VI and his family, was overwhelmed by the meeting and said, ‘It was amazing, they were so lovely.’
The museum where Meghan and Harry visited exists to tell the story of the tens of thousands of South Africans who were forced to leave the urban neighborhood during that violent period of the country’s history and to share the traditional fare and home cooking that has helped bring the community back together.
The museum’s director, Bonita Bennett, described the visit as emotional and said: “We heard ex-residents talking about where they used to live, what the experience was like, and how they are still living with displacement, and how we are trying to move away from that. They spoke to people who had returned to the community.”
Meghan and Harry got the opportunity to sample local delicacies, such as a tomato casserole and porring, a pudding made from potato, cream and vanilla.
“We wanted to give them a good experience of the music, the tastes, the smells of District 6, and it was a chance for them to meet some of the different generations from the area,” Bennett said.
Among the people they met was local artist Adrien Mallel, who presented the Duke with a portrait.
“I’ve been waiting to give it to him for ages,” she said after speaking to the couple. “He said ‘Is that a gift?’ and when I told him it was for him, he said, ‘Wow!’ I’m so thrilled he liked it. Meghan was quite emotional about it, and I told her I loved the work they were doing and that it is so important.
She thanked me and was very genuine.”
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