‘I do not recall talking to Meghan’
The South African composer who met the Duchess of Sussex at The Lion King premiere does not recall speaking to her about Nelson Mandela, The Daily Telegraph has confirmed, after the film’s only South African actor says he has never met her.
Lebo M, who created the African vocal and choir arrangements for the live action film, spoke to the Duke and Duchess for about a minute at the London event in 2019, but does not remember details of the conversation.
The trio were filmed making enthusiastic conversation about the Sussexes’ own trip to South Africa during a meet-and-greet line-up.
Lebo M, who has worked on the Lion King film and the Broadway production, told The Telegraph he did not remember details of the conversation.
“Indeed I was at The Lion King 2019 premier and met the royals,” he said. “I cannot comment on the matter as it was 3 years ago and I don’t remember details of that conversation which was less than a minute.”
A video of their conversation appears to show him telling the Sussexes it was a pleasure to meet them, with Prince Harry speaking of the importance of people “all over the place, South Africa, England” working together to help each other. The mystery identity of a South African creative who met the Duchess and compared her wedding to the freeing of Mandela remains unsolved.
In her interview with The Cut, published this week, the Duchess told how she had taken comfort from a conversation with a South African cast member at the premiere, who pulled her aside.
“I just had Archie. It was such a cruel chapter,” she said. “He looked at me, and he’s just like light. He said, ‘I just need you to know: When you married into this family, we rejoiced in the streets the same we did when Mandela was freed from prison’.”
John Kani, who played Rafiki in the film, has admitted he is “baffled” by the report, saying he was the only South African cast member but has never met the Duchess.