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Prince Harry and Meghan Markle took Nigeria by storm today – posing for selfies, playing with children and being mobbed by fans as they kicked off their three-day tour in a royal fashion. The Duke and Duchess of Sussex received a military welcome in the afternoon as onlookers flooded to try and catch a glimpse of the glowing couple – after a morning visit where Meghan told schoolgirls: ‘I see myself in all of you.’
And there was a comical moment as she took a picture with pupils at Wuse Lightway Academy and Harry put his arms up and pulled a cheeky grin behind her. The couple spoke about mental health at the school supported by their Archewell Foundation, with Meghan encouraging them to ‘just be honest with each other’. Harry also said: ‘If you see your friend in your class not smiling, what are you going to do? Are you going to check in on them? Are you going to ask them if they’re OK? Because it’s OK not to be OK.’
Handing the mic to Meghan, she added: ‘Do you see why I married him? He’s so smart. And so inspiring because he speaks the truth.’ They visited the school about five hours after their arrival in Abuja – before heading onto the Nigerian Defence Headquarters for their next engagement from noon.
Meghan – who was wearing a long Heidi Merrick ‘Windsor’ dress worth an estimated £450 ($560) – told the pupils : ‘As I look around this room, I see myself in all of you as well. So it is a complete honour to have our first visit to Nigeria, be here with all of you. We believe in all of you, we believe in your futures, we believe in your ability to continue telling your stories and to just be honest with each other. There is no need to suffer in silence. Just make sure that you’re taking care of yourselves.’
Meghan also praised James Holt, the executive director of the Archewell Foundation who has joined them on the trip, for his work – adding that his ‘birthday is today’. Harry gave his own speech about mental health, evoking memories of his suffering after his mother Princess Diana ‘s death when he referred to people who have ‘lost a loved one in your family and you don’t know who to turn to or who to speak to’. The Duke – who was 12 and his brother William 15 when Diana died in Paris in 1997 – added that there was ‘no shame to be able to acknowledge that today is a bad day’.
He also told the children: ‘You can have it, she (Meghan) can have it, I can have it. They can have it. Every single one of us is likely to have it on any given day.’ The Duke asked one child their age, and when they said they were five, he replied: ‘You’re five? Our son Archie is five.’ Meghan added: ‘That’s right, he turned five.’
She also said that Lilibet loved dancing, adding: ‘Maybe it’s all the jumping around.’ The Sussexes were greeted by a dancing troupe and a crowd of excited students and teachers. Student Nnenna Okorie said of Meghan: ‘She is the prettiest human being ever. I admire her so much and then Harry. I love how he is so supportive.’ At the Defence HQ, the couple spent an hour inside before emerging to cheers from and shaking hands with well-wishers amid chaotic scenes.
An uncomfortable looking Harry quickly ushered Meghan into their car as onlookers almost overwhelmed them. The couple arrived together in Abuja just before 5am following a secret reunion at Heathrow’s VIP Windsor Suite yesterday after the Duchess arrived from Los Angeles. They boarded the British Airways overnight flight to Abuja, which was slightly delayed after the scheduled pilot went sick and a replacement had to be scrambled.
The Sussexes, visiting Nigeria together for the first time, were seated in the first class section of the Boeing 777 and were kept apart from other passengers by a curtain. Meghan revealed on her Spotify podcast Archetypes in 2022 that she found out she has Nigerian ancestry, describing herself as ’43 per cent Nigerian’. And yesterday, Harry said it was ‘great’ to be back in the UK this week to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the Invictus Games. The Duke had been in London since Tuesday to attend events relating to the competition including a thanksgiving service.
Harry and Meghan have a four-man security team with them for the tour, who have accompanied the Duke since he arrived in London. Nigeria has also provided protection including armed guards and bullet proof vehicles for the couple’s stay. Meanwhile Harry’s brother Prince William was carrying out engagements on the Isles of Scilly this morning, where he bought some Cornish pasties at a cafe.
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