Duke and Duchess of Sussex open Nelson Mandela Centenary Exhibition at Southbank Centre's Queen Elizabeth Hall

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex were welcomed this morning to the Nelson Mandela Centenary Exhibition, which focuses on the life and times of the former President of South Africa, by Southbank Centre CEO Elaine Bedell and long-time anti-apartheid campaigner Lord Peter Hain.

During the tour Their Royal Highnesses met Andrew Mlangeni, survivor from Robben island and the Rivonia Trial, and viewed the Robben Island Bible as part of the exhibition. The ‘Bible’: the Complete Works of Shakespeare, was smuggled onto the Island, annotated by Nelson Mandela and became an important source of inspiration in his leadership of South Africa.

The free exhibition opens to the public today at 4pm in Southbank Centre’s Queen Elizabeth Hall foyer and runs until 19th August. The first weekend of the exhibition (19th - 22nd July) will coincide with Africa Utopia, Southbank Centre’s festival celebrating Africa and its rich contribution to contemporary culture, arts and literature. Elaine Bedell, Chief Executive of Southbank Centre, said: ‘We were delighted to welcome The Duke and Duchess to the Nelson Mandela Centenary Exhibition here at Southbank Centre, marking the opening of Africa Utopia festival.

The exhibition is a wonderful opportunity for everyone to learn something about the life of one of the world’s most inspirational leaders and to gain some insight into his values, extraordinary resilience and vision.’

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About the Nelson Mandela Centenary Exhibition The exhibition is jointly presented by the Apartheid Museum in South Africa, the Anti-Apartheid Movement Archives in the UK and Southbank Centre. The exhibition opens ahead of Southbank Centre’s Africa Utopia festival, now in its sixth year. 

It focuses on the life and times of Mandela and celebrates the centenary of his birth. It traces Mandela’s Long Walk to Freedom through six main themes: character, comrade, leader, prisoner, negotiator and statesman. It is the first time the exhibition will be shown in the UK, after successful runs of various iterations in locations around the world, including six weeks at the Paris Town Hall in 2013.

The UK exhibition additionally displays original items from the Anti-Apartheid Movement Archives which highlight the role played by the British Anti-Apartheid Movement in hastening the end of the apartheid regime.