Meghan Markle’s secret messages? Duchess of Sussex appeared to make subtle nods to the British monarchy – with everything from her ‘Windsor’ dress to Diana’s watch – as she and Prince Harry kick off their royal-reminiscent trip to Nigeria

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex may no longer be working royals – but their trip to Nigeria, which kicked off today, had all the markings of a traditional engagement that would have been undertaken by the Firm.

Prince Harry, 39, and his wife channelled the same regal energy with which they carried themselves before deciding to leave for the United States.

And Meghan, 42, appeared to send gentle nods to the monarchy with her ensemble at their first appearance at the West African nation – a visit to a school supported by the Archewell Foundation – with everything from her chic fashion to her sentimental jewellery pieces.

The mother-of-two looked effortlessly elegant as she bared her back in the sleeveless peach maxi dress from Californian designer Heidi Merrick which is first thought to have been released in 2018, the year of Meghan’s royal wedding to Harry.

But the royal links don’t end there; Meghan’s regal in-laws are officially titled The House of Windsor, the same name given to the gown.

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex may no longer be working royals – but their trip to Nigeria, which kicked off today, had all the markings of a traditional engagement that would have been undertaken by the Firm

The couple’s 72-hour whistlestop visit is primarily to promote Harry’s Invictus Games, but many observers have noted its similarity to a traditional royal tour.

So much so, that the British High Commissioner to Nigeria, Richard Montgomery, was left keen to dispel any illusions that they are on official business.

‘They are visiting in a private capacity, not an official one… They are not representing the work of His Majesty’s Government on this visit,’ he said in comments reported by the News Agency of Nigeria.

Believed to have originally been priced at $572, Meghan’s chic silk frock features a dropped hemline, billowing skirt and cinched waist.

Adding a touch of glitz to her ensemble, the mother-of-two sported chunky gold earrings from Lanvin, her AURate collar necklace and an array of dazzling bracelets, as well as her wedding rings.

She also opted to wear her $62,000 Lorraine Schwartz pinky band and` appeared to sport her beloved $5,500 Ariel Gordon Diamond Hex Tennis bracelet, which was rumoured to be a Valentine’s gift from Harry this year. 

The stunning 14k yellow gold piece features more than 1.5 carats of diamonds encased in solid gold hexagon-shaped links and is handmade in LA.

She often stacks the stand-out piece on top of her other bling, such as her beloved Cartier Watch, identical to the one her mother-in-law Princess Diana owned. 

Prince Harry, 39, and his wife channelled the same regal energy with which they carried themselves before deciding to leave for the United States

And Meghan, 42, appeared to send gentle nods to the monarchy with her ensemble at their first appearance at the West African nation – a visit to a school supported by the Archewell Foundation – with everything from her chic fashion to her sentimental jewellery pieces

Adding a touch of glitz to her ensemble, the mother-of-two sported chunky gold earrings, her AURate collar necklace and an array of dazzling bracelets

Both the Duchess and Duke donned beaded necklaces, while Harry put on a low-key display in a cream shirt and trouser combo

Meghan’s mannerisms also harked back to her royal endeavours as she spoke to children and took selfies with young kids at the school visit. 

The couple kicked off their 72-hour visit of the West African nation earlier this morning, and appear to be ‘utterly delighted’ to have arrived on this tour.

Speaking to FEMAIL, communications pro Judi James explained that the Duke and Duchess of Sussex seem to have ‘fallen back into the non-verbal habits and status signals of the earliest days of Meghan’s life as a royal here’.

The pair both spoke to pupils at the Wuse Lightway Academy this morning, about five hours after their arrival in Abuja on a British Airways flight. Then from noon, they visited the Nigerian Defence Headquarters for their next engagement.

‘While Meghan adopts some elegant but more “plus-one” -looking poses here at the start, either smiling or gazing adoringly at Harry as he makes his speech, it is Harry looking very much the lead here,’ Judi said.

‘And even very much the royal prince, standing in a confident leg splay or doing a more active and immersive chat to the line of people waiting to greet them.’

She also said this extended to helping guide his wife through the interactions too. 

‘When he looks at Meghan his gesticulation suggests he is talking her through the action and his emphatic gesticulation during his speech suggests he is even in his element here, too,’ Judi remarked.

‘When they hold hands it is Meghan placing her hand into his cupped hand, with Harry’s hand on top, again hinting that this is his “lead” part of the visit.’

However, the body language expert thinks that the pair are set to pass the baton to one another when it comes to social situations. 

‘Their schedule suggests Meghan will be taking the lead for some of her own appearances,’ she continued.

‘And it looks as though the couple might even have adopted a new format of taking it in turns to wear the more dominant or supportive signals in the style that our royals and many celebrity power couples have been doing for years.’

Meghan today told a group of children ‘I see myself in all of you’ as she spoke to students about mental health and encouraged them to ‘just be honest with each other’. 

The couple kicked off their 72-hour visit of the West African nation earlier this morning, and appear to be ‘utterly delighted’ to have arrived on this tour

Speaking to FEMAIL, communications pro Judi James explained that the Duke and Duchess of Sussex seem to have ‘fallen back into the non-verbal habits and status signals of the earliest days of Meghan’s life as a royal here’

‘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,’ she said.

‘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’.

Speaking at Wuse Lightway Academy this morning, Harry said: ‘In some cases around the world, in more than you would believe, there is a stigma when it comes to mental health.

‘Too many people don’t want to talk about it, because it’s invisible – something in your mind that you can’t see. It’s not like a broken leg, it’s not like a broken wrist, it’s something we are still relatively unsure of.

‘But guess what? Every single person in this room – the youngest, the oldest – every single person has mental health.’

The pair both spoke to pupils at the Wuse Lightway Academy this morning, about five hours after their arrival in Abuja on a British Airways flight

While Meghan adopts some elegant but more ‘plus-one’ -looking poses at the start, either smiling or gazing adoringly at Harry as he makes his speech, it is ‘Harry looking very much the lead here,’ Judi said

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’

He said that people had to ‘look after yourselves to be able to look after other people, and other people have to be able to look after themselves to be able to look after you’, adding: ‘That’s the way it works.’

The Duke continued: ‘And there is no shame to be able to acknowledge that today is a bad day, OK? That you woke up this morning feeling sad; that you were at school, feeling stressed; that you’ve lost a loved one in your family and you don’t know who to turn to or who to speak to. All of these things you may even be led to believe are not for conversation.’

Harry continued: ‘Every single one of those things is completely normal, it is a human reaction, whether it’s grief, stress, whatever the feeling is. It comes from an experience that you have had – 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.

‘So if you take anything away from today, just know that mental health affects every single person.’

While they danced around with the pupils and also took selfies, other parts of the trip were more formal with a large military presence as the couple met dignitaries.

Nigerian defence spokesman Brigadier General Tukur Gusau confirmed today that Harry and Meghan arrived in Abuja early this morning.

They will be meeting wounded soldiers and their families in what Nigerian officials have said is a show of support to improve the soldiers’ morale and wellbeing.

Abidemi Marquis, the director of sports at Nigeria‘s Defence Headquarters, said: ‘This engagement with Invictus is giving us the opportunity for the recovery of our soldiers.’

Harry and Meghan pictured smiling as they begin their tour of Nigeria with a trip to the Wuse Lightway Academy today

Prince Harry greeted students with a wave as he arrived at the Wuse Lightway Academy in Abuja today

Harry served in Afghanistan as an Apache helicopter co-pilot gunner, after which he founded the Invictus Games in 2014 to offer wounded veterans and service members the challenge of competing in sports events similar to the Paralympics.

Nigeria was among the nations that participated in last year’s edition of the games.

The Nigerian military has touted the Invictus Games as one which could help the recovery of thousands of its personnel who have been fighting the homegrown Boko Haram Islamic extremists and their factions since 2009 when they launched an insurgency.

Mr Marquis said: ’80 per cent of our soldiers that have been involved in this recovery programme are getting better (and) their outlook to life is positive.’

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle grinned as they arrived at the Wuse Lightway Academy in Abuja this morning

Children excitedly watched the visit by Harry and Meghan to the Wuse Lightway Academy in Abuja today 

‘The recovery programme has given them an opportunity to improve their personal self-esteem, to improve their mental health and emotional intelligence.’

Brigadier General Tukur Gusau told MailOnline: ‘They will be tired after their journey, so they will rest and then the first engagement is at midday at the Defence Headquarters.

‘After that they will travel to Kaduna to meet wounded soldiers at a military hospital there before returning to Abuja for other engagements.’

The visit is primarily to promote the Invictus Games and comes after Harry met the Nigerian team and General Musa at last year’s competition in Dusseldorf, Germany.

It was there that he told the audience Meghan was ‘rooting for Team Nigeria’ after discovering she had heritage from the west African nation.

Harry and Meghan are visiting Nigeria on the invitation of General Christopher Musa.