Meghan’s VERY regal outfit: Duchess bares her back in £450 Heidi Merrick Windsor gown from 2018 as she joins Prince Harry on ‘three-day royal tour’

Meghan Markle has opted for a daring backless gown titled Windsor as she and Prince Harry kicked off their royal-style tour of Nigeria today with a trip to a school supported by the couple’s Archewell Foundation.

The Duchess of Sussex, 42, 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 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 he 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.

It’s not the first time the Duchess has worn the designer. In April, Meghan opted for a glamorous white Heidi Merrick design, which featured a statement bow and cut out back.

Meghan’s close friend and former Suits co-star Abigail Spencer also chose the same outfit to celebrate Heidi’s anniversary celebrations with her husband Johnny Johnston in September. Abigail looks to be close pals with the Californian designer.

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, which has a contentious background; there have long been questions about the origin of the ring.

In 2021, Prince Harry and Meghan denied claims that the band was fashioned with diamonds gifted to the couple by a mystery donor in the Middle East – before clarifying that they were referring to a different ring.

They initially said the piece was sourced by a stylist on the shoot directly from the designer and that there was no link to a mystery donor in the Middle East.

But in a spectacular U-turn, they later rolled back the denial, and clarified that they were referring to a different ring.

There was no further mention made of the Lorraine Schwartz ring in question on her right hand, begging the question of whether Meghan has something to hide about the provenance of the diamond, which was first seen on her finger in October 2020.

If the diamonds did indeed come from the Middle East, it’s not clear if Meghan received the gift while she was still a working royal, or after she performed her final official duties in early March 2020.

She did not visit the region officially, but there’s always the possibility she made a private trip.

Buckingham Palace only publishes a list of gifts received by royals while on duty in the UK or overseas, and there is no public record of Meghan being given any diamonds.

Gifts sent to the royals outside of official engagements are recorded but not made public.

The palace previously directed inquiries about the diamonds back to the Sussexes’ representatives in the US.

Meghan also 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. 

Meghan complemented her outfit today with a smattering of glamorous makeup, including a pink lip-gloss, plenty of blush and a smokey eyeshadow look. Her hair appeared equally glam, with the Duchess opting for a ponytail of soft curls.

Rosie Osborne, celebrity facialist, commented on the Duchess’ possible skincare routine, telling MailOnline: ‘There is no denying Meghan does look incredible.

‘A red carpet look like this can be achieved by using… a comprehensive at-home skin plan using medical grade products.’ 

Both the Duchess and Duke donned beaded necklaces that they had been gifted, while Harry put on a low-key display in a cream shirt and trouser combo.

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex met officials and children at the Wuse Lightway Academy this morning, hours after their arrival in Abuja in the early hours.

Harry spoke to a group of pupils at the school about mental health and referenced when someone has ‘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 Princess 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 couple flew in together just before 5am following a secret reunion at London Heathrow‘s VIP Windsor Suite yesterday after the Duchess arrived from Los Angeles.

They both 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.

It comes after 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.

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.’

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.’

He said the Sussexes were ‘here today to tell you that that is not the case’.

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.’

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 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,’

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

As Harry and Meghan arrived in Nigeria just before 5am today, other travellers were held back while the couple were escorted off and they exchanged smiles with cabin crew as they left.

Nigerian officials met them at the airport, Abuja Nnamdi Azikiwe International, and they were taken out of a side door onto the jetty and into a waiting blacked out minibus.

Meghan was wearing black trousers and a brown jacket, while Harry walked behind in a black jacket and trousers and open necked shirt.

Aides carried their luggage, and they were accompanied by the same security team that had been with Harry throughout his recent stay in London.

The couple are thought to be staying in the Transcorp Hilton in Abuja where the presidential suit costs £600 a night.

Set in picturesque landscape gardens in the heart of the Nigerian capital, the hotel has a restaurant, pool and spa and is popular with expats and diplomats.

It is also close to the Nigerian Defence Headquarters where the couple will have an engagement at 12pm with General Christopher Musa, Chief of Defence Staff.

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.

The couple are due to visit a school before the duke meets injured service members at a military hospital.

They will also attend a training session for charity organisation Nigeria: Unconquered, which collaborates with the Invictus Games, as well as a reception where military families will be honoured.

Meghan is then due to co-host an event of Women in Leadership with Dr Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, the director-general of the World Trade Organisation.

On Sunday the couple will fly to Lagos for the second part of visit where they will attend a basketball camp with the charity Giants of Africa, a cultural reception and a polo fundraiser for Nigeria: Unconquered.

The Defence HQ revealed the Sussexes’ itinerary in a press conference yesterday, and said that while some of the meetings will be private, the couple will do a photocall after.

The department said Meghan was looking forward to visiting Nigeria to ‘explore her Nigerian ancestry’.

It comes after Meghan revealed on her Spotify podcast Archetypes in 2022 that she found out she has Nigerian ancestry, describing herself as ’43 per cent Nigerian‘.

During a visit to the Nigerian team at last year’s Invictus Games in Dusseldorf, Meghan was given the name Amira Ngozi Lolo, which holds a special royal meaning.

‘Amira’ means warrior princess from a legend, while ‘Ngozi’ means blessed and ‘Lolo’ means royal wife.

Harry also joked about Meghan’s ancestry during his opening speech at the games.

He said: ‘Now, I’m not saying we play favourites in our home, but since my wife discovered she’s of Nigerian descent, it’s likely to get a little bit more competitive this year.’