Cape TownIn a bright pink house in the Bo-Kaap, a colorful Cape Town neighborhood famous for its blend of Indonesian, African, and Indian roots, Shaamiela Samodien spent Tuesday morning carefully filling cream puffs, baking apple tarts, and setting the table for tea. In the middle, she placed a traditional local delicacy: cinnamon- and cardamom-infused koeksisters donuts. That afternoon, her guests—the Duke and Duchess of Sussex—would arrive, sit around a table packed with Samodien’s friends and relatives from the neighborhood, and split one of her famous donuts.

Typically on September 24, South Africa celebrates Heritage Day. This year was different in the Bo-Kaap: in May, the neighborhood became an official South African heritage site, which means the historic area is protected