Prince Harry and Meghan, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, concluded a three-day visit to Nigeria on Sunday, during which the prominent couple leveraged their fame to raise awareness for causes close to their hearts.
Harry participated in a sitting volleyball match alongside disabled athletes, all of whom were Nigerian army veterans.
Nigeria has shown interest in hosting the Invictus Games, a charitable sporting event for wounded soldiers established ten years ago by the duke.
Meanwhile, Meghan co-hosted a women’s leadership gathering, acknowledging her Nigerian heritage for the second time during their trip.
“Thank you very much for how graciously you’ve all been welcoming my husband and I to this country,” she said, pausing before adding, “my country.”
The mere utterance of those two words elicited cheers and applause. As expected, given the couple’s longstanding feud with the U.K.’s tabloid media, certain British newspapers highlighted that Harry and Meghan’s excursion to Nigeria bore all the hallmarks of a royal tour – complete with the duke’s review of a Nigerian military honor guard — despite their departure from official royal duties.
At one juncture, Harry stood at attention during his country’s national anthem, “God Save the King,” just days after the couple’s press team stated that King Charles III couldn’t find time to meet his youngest son during Harry’s recent visit to London.
The trip to Nigeria appeared to be a triumph for the Sussexes, particularly in the eyes of the individuals they visited. Nigerians warmly embraced them.
“On camera they are good, but in person, holy moly!” said Malaika Gyang-gyang, a student at the Lightway Academy in Abuja, which the duke and duchess visited as soon as they arrived on Friday.
