Meghan Markle is dubbed Nigeria’s ‘new princess’ by fans after Duchess of Sussex is honoured as an ‘Ada Mazi’ as she dons ornate golden sash during naming ceremony attended by three kings in Lagos

Meghan Markle has been showered with love from Nigerian fans who have welcomed their ‘new princess’ during the Duke and Duchess of Sussex visit to the nation.

The mother-of-two was on Sunday honoured as an ‘Ada Mazi’ – seemingly a title of respect meaning ‘daughter of an aristocrat’ – of the Ancient Arochukwu Kingdom.

Three Kings – His Eminence Engr Eberechukwu Oji, Eze Aro of Ancient Arochukwu Kingdom, Igwe Alfred Achebe, the Obi of Onitsha and Great Olu Of Warri Kingdom – took party in the naming ceremony.

And wellwishers from the West African country, where Prince Harry and his wife have enjoyed a whistle-stop 72-hour tour, have taken to social media to send their congratulations. 

‘Princess Meghan First of her Name! Daughter Doria of OUR blood,’ one wrote in a spirited post on X. 

Meghan Markle has been showered with love from Nigerian fans who have welcomed their ‘new princess’ during the Duke and Duchess of Sussex visit to the nation

Another fondly called Meghan ‘our new Princess of Arochukwu Ancient Kingdom’.

Elsewhere a third penned: ‘Ok my native tribe has finally represented wit the “Ada Mazi” drape and the royal beads.

‘A proud Igbo girl, a proud Anambarian!!!’ 

Many have also remarked how significant the occasion is, given that the Kings are understood to rarely leave their home state unless it’s for a very special event or guest.

In a TikTok shared by Arochukwu Network, a video shows a beaming Meghan making a grateful speech.

‘Thank you so much,’ she told an audience. ‘I’m very very grateful I’m very humbled.

‘And today is Mother’s Day so it feels appropriate – because of course we are missing our children, I’m missing my babies – it feels really good to be in the motherland… 

‘Thank you so much for the titles and really beautiful names. We can’t wait to come back, thank you so much.’

Three Kings – His Eminence Engr Eberechukwu Oji, Eze Aro of Ancient Arochukwu Kingdom, Igwe Alfred Achebe, the Obi of Onitsha and Great Olu Of Warri Kingdom – took party in the naming ceremony

Wellwishers from the West African country, where Prince Harry and his wife have enjoyed a whistle-stop 72-hour tour, have taken to social media to send their congratulations

Meghan wore a golden sash depicting the Ada Mazi title and also held onto a fabric depicting the ‘Oru-Arochukwu’ insignia.

Explaining its symbology, one poster on the forum Nairaland in 2017 said: ‘The Omu and Omu Aro, for purposes of clarity and better understanding are not interchangeable. 

‘The omu is the young leaf or leaves of the palm tree or the knot, tied from this leaf by the Eze Aro, while the Omu Aro is the insignia or emblem of authority of the Eze Aro.

‘The omu as we have it anywhere on Aro documents, monuments or wrappers has the knotted Omu leaf at the center, with a hand giving it and the other receiving it.’

Arochukwu is one ‘one of the foremost ancient kingdoms in Africa’, as reported by local newspaper Punch, and is located in the north of Abia State.

The Sussexes were invited to the West African nation by its military, with their three-day visit intended to promote mental health for soldiers and empower young people

Prince Harry also spoke to the gathering, describing those in the room as his ‘in laws’, adding: ‘I’ll skip the protocol because at this point we’re all family.’

He continued: ‘Thank you for welcoming my wife and myself to Nigeria. It’s our first visit. It certainly won’t be our last. Thank you for the naming ceremony.

‘I don’t know how I got dragged into that as well, but to be able to witness it as well next to my wife, it means a huge amount to both of us but especially her, so thank you for that.’

Their visit comes after Meghan revealed on her Archetypes podcast in October 2022 that she found out through the DNA-based test that she was ’43 per cent Nigerian’.

The Sussexes were invited to the West African nation by its military, with their three-day visit intended to promote mental health for soldiers and empower young people. 

Lagos governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu told reporters: ‘We’ve extended an additional invitation to them that they can always come back when they want to.’

Harry and Meghan arrived in Lagos this weekend, where Nigeria’s fashion and traditional dances were on full display.

The couple were treated to different bouts of dancing, starting at Lagos airport where a troupe’s acrobatic moves left Harry and Meghan applauding and grinning.s.

Going with Meghan’s white top was the traditional Nigerian aso oke, a patterned handwoven fabric wrapped around the waist and often reserved for special occasions. It was a gift from a group of women a day earlier.

Meghan pictured at the Giant of Africa Foundation at the Dream Big Basketball clinic in Lagos this weekend

The couple visited a local charity, Giants of Africa, which uses basketball to empower young people.

There, they were treated to another round of dancing before unveiling a partnership between the organisation and their Archewell Foundation.

‘What you guys are doing here at Giants of Africa is truly amazing,’ Harry said. ‘The power of sport can change lives. It brings people together and creates community and there are no barriers, which is the most important thing.’

Masai Ujiri, the charity’s president and an ex-NBA star, wished Meghan a happy Mother’s Day and acknowledged how hard it can be ‘for us to be away from our kids and family to make things like this happen’.

‘To do so shows dedication (and) we truly appreciate it,’ he told the couple.

Meghan and Harry later attended a fundraiser for Nigeria’s soldiers wounded in the country’s fight against Islamic extremists and other armed groups in the country’s conflict-hit north.

The event was related to Harry’s Invictus Games, which Nigeria is seeking to host in the future.