AP

Britain’s Prince Harry to keynote Mandela day UN celebration

Jul 14, 2022, 11:15 PM | Updated: Jul 16, 2022, 11:50 am

FILE - Prince Harry and his wife Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, depart after attending a service of tha...

FILE - Prince Harry and his wife Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, depart after attending a service of thanksgiving for the reign of Queen Elizabeth II at St Paul's Cathedral in London, June 3, 2022. Prince Harry won the first stage of a libel suit against the publisher of Britain’s Mail on Sunday newspaper as a judge ruled Friday, July 8 that parts of a story about his fight for police protection in the U.K. were defamatory. (AP Photo/Alberto Pezzali, file)

(AP Photo/Alberto Pezzali, file)

UNITED NATIONS (AP) — Britain’s Prince Harry will address the U.N. General Assembly at its annual celebration Monday of Nelson Mandela International Day and is expected to speak about the legacy of the South African anti-apartheid leader who spent 27 years in prison and became his country’s first Black leader.

The 37-year-old duke of Sussex will be the keynote speaker at the U.N. event and South Africa’s U.N. Mission said Friday his remarks “will be around the memories and legacy of Mandela and what has been learned from his struggle and his life that can help up face the new challenges in the world today.”

The world still faces challenges that were there during Mandela’s life including racial intolerance, the divide between rich and poor, hunger and food insecurity, a mission diplomat said.

General Assembly spokesperson Paulina Kubiak officially announced the program for Nelson Mandela International Day on Friday, with Harry giving the keynote and participants including assembly president Abdulla Shahid, U.N. Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed, New York Mayor Eric Adams and Guinea’s Foreign Minister Morissanda Kouaté.

The General Assembly established July 18 — Mandela’s birthday — as an international day to honor him not only by celebrating his life and contributions but by carrying out the tradition of participating in a community service activity.

Harry will be accompanied at the U.N. by his wife Meghan, the duchess of Sussex. A former actress, she spoke at a conference at U.N. headquarters organized by UN Women on International Women’s Day in 2015, before her marriage to the prince.

In January 2020, the couple stepped down as senior members of the royal family and moved to the duchess’ native Southern California, where they continue to live with their two children.

Harry and Meghan visited South Africa in 2019 with their son, Archie, on their first official tour as a family before they gave up royal duties. Harry’s mother, the late Princess Diana, met Mandela in March 1997, just five months before her death in a car crash in Paris.

Copyright © The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

AP

Image: A cargo ship is stuck under the part of the structure of the Francis Scott Key Bridge after ...

Associated Press

Authorities identify 2 bodies recovered at site of Baltimore bridge collapse

A major bridge in Baltimore snapped and collapsed after a container ship rammed into it early Tuesday, and several vehicles fell into the river below.

1 day ago

Photo: Mountaineer Jim Whittaker has died at 95....

Gene Johnson, The Associated Press

Lou Whittaker, among the most famous American mountaineers, has died at age 95

Lou Whittaker, a legendary American mountaineer who helped lead ascents of Mount Everest, K2 and Denali, has died at age 95.

1 day ago

File photo: Former Sen. Joe Lieberman speaks in Washington on Jan. 18, 2024....

Associated Press

Former Sen. Joe Lieberman, Democrats’ VP pick in 2000, dead at 82

Former U.S. Sen. Joe Lieberman of Connecticut, who nearly won the vice presidency on the Democratic ticket with Al Gore in 2000, has died.

1 day ago

islamic state attack...

Vanessa Gera, The Associated Press

What we know after the Islamic State group claims responsibility for Moscow massacre

The Islamic State group has claimed responsibility for an attack on a suburban Moscow concert hall that killed at least 133 people.

5 days ago

Moscow shooting...

The Associated Press

Russia: 60 dead, 145 injured in concert hall raid; Islamic State group claims responsibility

Assailants burst into a concert hall in Moscow on Friday and sprayed the crowd with gunfire, killing over 60 people, injuring more than 100.

6 days ago

Photo: Britain's Kate, Duchess of Cambridge visits 282 (East Ham) Squadron, RAF Air Cadets, Cornwel...

Associated Press

Kate Middleton announces she has cancer, is undergoing chemotherapy

Kate Middleton, Princess of Wales, says she is undergoing chemotherapy to treat cancer. She has been out of view since Christmas.

6 days ago

Britain’s Prince Harry to keynote Mandela day UN celebration