The Duke and Duchess of Sussex, Prince Harry and Meghan landed in Nigeria on Friday May 10, to start a three-day private visit. According to the royal itinerary, they will meet with wounded soldiers and visit some local charities and foundations.
The royal couple’s first engagement was an event at a school in Abuja, Nigeria’s capital called the Lightway Academy. She told the young pupils there “I see myself in all of you.”
Meghan’s mother is an African-American with roots in Nigeria. One side of the story narrows it down to the South East Nigeria, but this has not been formally confirmed except that Meghan herself admitted in 2022 that she discovered she was “43% Nigerian” from a genealogy test.
At the Abuja school, where they launched an inaugural mental health summit organized by the local non-profit GEANCO in partnership with their foundation, the couple was greeted by a lively dancing troupe and an excited crowd of students and teachers.
“We’ve got to acknowledge those amazing dance moves!” Meghan said. “My husband was excited to jump up!”
Meeting Up With Young Pupils
They then proceeded to the students classrooms, where the children proudly showed the robot cars they made
The couple discussed mental health with the students, also sharing insights about their own two children, Archie and Lilibet.
Prince Harry said,
In some cases around the world … there is a stigma when it comes to mental health. Too many people don’t want to talk about it. So will you promise to us that after today, no more being scared, no more being unsure of mental health?
Meghan Pokes Fun At Prince
“You see why I’m married to him?” she said of Harry amid cheers, before urging the schoolchildren to never be ashamed of their experiences in life. “It is a complete honor to have our first visit to Nigeria; be here with all of you. We believe in you. We believe in your future,” she said.
Student, Nnenna Okorie, could hardly hide her excitement at meeting the couple. “She is the prettiest human being ever,” said Okorie, a senior student at the school. “I admire her so much and then Harry. I love how he is so supportive,” she said.
Later, the couple proceeded to Nigeria’s Defense Headquarters, where they were warmly received by servicemen and their spouses before having a private meeting with Nigeria’s Chief of Defense Staff, Gen. Christopher Musa.
How They Arrived
Harry flew into Abuja from London, where he attended events marking the 10th anniversary of his Invictus Games – a Paralympics-style event for wounded, injured and sick military personnel and veterans.
Meghan in turn flew in from Los Angeles.
Lineup Of Royal Activities
During their stay in Nigeria, Harry and Meghan are scheduled to attend basketball and volleyball matches in Abuja and Lagos. Meghan will also co-host an event on “Women In Leadership” with Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, the Director-General of the World Trade Organization.
This is the Sussexes’ first trip as a couple to Nigeria. They will be promoting their pet project – Invictus as well as the themes of mental health and female empowerment.
Invictus Games is an international multi-sport event first held in 2014, for wounded, injured and sick servicemen and women, both serving and veterans. It was inspired by Prince Harry.
On Saturday, the duke is also scheduled to join wounded veterans during a sitting volleyball game and later, his wife is expected to co-host a women’s leadership event with Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, the director-general of the World Trade Organization.
No Presidential Audience
Since this has been billed as a private visit, there is no schedule of meeting with Nigeria’s president, Bola Tinubu, although the program includes brief encounters with the governors of Lagos and Kaduna States.
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