There’s A Poignant Reason Why Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s Upcoming Visit to Nigeria Will Be Especially Meaningful to Them

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published 29 April 2024

On the heels of Prince Harry’s return to the U.K. for the Invictus Games’ 10-year anniversary celebration on May 8, he and Meghan Markle will jet off to Nigeria, where they are set to meet with military personnel and participate in a number of activities associated with the Invictus Games, Tatler reports. The Games—an international multi-sport event for wounded, sick, and injured servicemen and servicewomen, both veterans and those still serving—were founded by Harry in 2014.

Nigeria’s defense ministry spoke out about its “honor and delight” at hosting the Duke and Duchess of Sussex; Brigadier General Tukur Gusau released a statement yesterday “confirming that the visit would strengthen Nigeria’s connection to the Games and potentially pave the way for hosting future editions,” Tatler writes.

In 2022, Meghan revealed on her podcast “Archetypes” that she was 43 percent Nigerian, according to a genealogy test she had taken. “The visit, therefore, serves a double purpose: both helping to continue the couple’s work around the Invictus Games and offering Meghan an opportunity to explore her heritage,” Tatler reports. At last year’s games in Dusseldorf, Germany, Nigeria—along with Colombia and Israel—was one of the newest countries to participate. Harry acknowledged this during the Games’ opening ceremony last September, telling the crowd assembled “Now, I’m not saying we play favorites in our home, but since my wife discovered she is of Nigerian descent, it’s likely to get a little bit more competitive this year,” he said.

At the Games, Harry and Meghan posed for a photo with Team Nigeria and their national flag, and the team presented them with a plaque from the Chief of Defense—and gave Meghan a new nickname, People reports. Meghan received the name “Amira Ngozi Lolo”; Amira, People writes, “is the name of a warrior princess from a legend, while Ngozi means ‘blessed’ and Lolo means ‘royal wife.’”

The next Invictus Games will take place in 2025 in Canada—Vancouver and Whistler, specifically—and in February, Harry and Meghan traveled to Canada for the Games’ One Year to Go celebrations. At the winter kickoff, returning Team Nigeria athlete Peacemaker Azuegbulam spoke about what it meant to have Meghan’s support, per People: “It makes me feel good,” Azuegbulam said. “It makes me feel loved that she really cares about Team Nigeria. We are happy for the love being shown by them and appreciate the efforts to bring the Invictus Games to Nigeria.”

Prince Harry at the Invictus Games Opening Ceremony — Harry will travel solo to the U.K. for a Service of Thanksgiving in honor of the 10-year anniversary of the Games.

Before going to Nigeria, Harry will be in London, where the May 8 Service of Thanksgiving will be held at St. Paul’s Cathedral. For the occasion, Harry is expected to give a reading; Meghan is not expected to join Harry in the U.K., but will meet him in Nigeria shortly after.

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Rachel Burchfield is a writer, editor, and podcaster whose primary interests are fashion and beauty, society and culture, and, most especially, the British Royal Family and other royal families around the world. She serves as Marie Claire’s Senior Celebrity and Royals Editor and has also contributed to publications like Allure, Cosmopolitan, Elle, Glamour, Harper’s Bazaar, InStyle, People, Vanity Fair, Vogue, and W, among others. Before taking on her current role with Marie Claire, Rachel served as its Weekend Editor and later Royals Editor. She is the cohost of Podcast Royal, a show that was named a top five royal podcast by The New York Times. A voracious reader and lover of books, Rachel also hosts I’d Rather Be Reading, which spotlights the best current nonfiction books hitting the market and interviews the authors of them. Rachel frequently appears as a media commentator, and she or her work has appeared on outlets like NBC’s Today Show, ABC’s Good Morning America, CNN, and more.