By Matt Strudwick and Emily Jane Davies and Megan Howe
19:15 28 Apr 2024, updated 20:07 28 Apr 2024
- The Sussexes will make their first visit to the African country as a couple
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle will tour Nigeria in an unofficial Royal visit after being invited by the country’s government to take part in ‘cultural activities’.
The Duke of Sussex, 39, will fly to the west African country to join Meghan just days after his return to Britain for the Invictus Games 10th anniversary in his first visit to the UK since Kate Middleton revealed her cancer diagnosis.
The couple have been invited to Nigeria by the country’s chief of defence staff, who met Harry in Germany last September at the Invictus Games Dusseldorf.
They will meet service members and their families and participate in ‘traditional cultural activities’, according to Nigerian media.
The Sussexes quit the UK and moved to America when they stepped down as working royals in January 2020.
Harry and Meghan’s acceptance of the invitation – their first visit to Nigeria as a couple – is said to have left the country’s defence headquarters feeling ‘honoured’ and ‘delighted’, according to local newspaper reports.
Meghan, 42, revealed in 2022 she found out she is 43 per cent Nigerian after doing a genealogy test ‘a couple years ago’.
Speaking on her podcast Archetypes to Nigerian-American comedian Ziwe Fumudoh she said: ‘I’m going to start to dig deeper into all this because anybody that I’ve told, especially Nigerian women, are like “What!”‘
The visit will come days after Harry flies to Britain for the Invictus Games 10th anniversary.
Royal commentator Richard Fitzwilliams said with Nigeria hoping to host a future Invictus Games and Meghan’s ancestry links to the country it makes sense for the couple to make the trip.
But he doesn’t believe it’s a move by the Sussexes to return to public duty with Harry having ‘no desire’ to do so.
‘It’s [the visit to Nigeria] a very good face saver with Meghan not coming to Britain and shows a bit of PR nous,’ he said.
An Invictus Games spokesperson confirmed the Duke of Sussex will attend the Service of Thanksgiving at St Paul’s Cathedral on Wednesday May 8, but it is yet unclear whether his wife Meghan Markle will be joining him.
He is expected to provide a reading at the event, marking a decade since the games were founded as a sporting event for injured and sick military personnel and veterans.
Actor Damian Lewis is also expected to recite the Invictus poem at St Paul’s for the anniversary of the games for injured servicemen and women.
It comes as the Duke is embroiled in a legal row about his taxpayer-funded personal security when he visits Britain.
The visit is the first time the Duke of Sussex has been in the UK since his last 26-hour trip in February, after his father King Charles announced his cancer diagnosis.
Royal experts say it is ‘unlikely’ that Harry will meet with the Princess of Wales, who disclosed her own battle with the disease in a video message to the nation last month.
Tom Bower told MailOnline: ‘I’m sure he won’t see Kate. But to reassert his royalty and his titles to enhance his brand, he will make a huge effort to be seen visiting his father, the King. I would be surprised if Meghan came.
Mr Fitzwilliams added: ‘Katherine is undergoing preventative chemotherapy treatment and given how deep the rift is, to me it seems unlikely.
‘The only hope of reconciliation is that it would happen privately and we wouldn’t know.’
However, Mr Fitzwilliams pointed out that a serious illness can sometimes be a ‘gamechanger’ in familial relationships.
Royal Correspondent Michael Cole said: ‘After so much bad blood, it is very difficult indeed to see any sort of reconciliation between the Sussexes and the Royal Family happening next week — or for the foreseeable future.’
A statement published on the Invictus Games’ social media reads: ‘The Invictus Games Foundation will celebrate 10 years of changing lives and saving lives with a ‘Service of Thanksgiving’ at St Paul’s Cathedral on May 8th.
‘We will be joined by our Patron, Prince Harry, the Duke of Sussex, actor Damian Lewis and members of the worldwide Invictus Community to mark the occasion.’
However, Meghan is not mentioned. As the event is just two days after their son Archie turns five, it is likely she will stay at home.
The pair live in Montecito, California with their two children, Archie, four, and Princess Lilibet, two.
In her statement, the Princess of Wales revealed she had been diagnosed with cancer after ‘planned abdominal surgery’ in January.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex were understood to have made contact with the Prince and Princess of Wales ‘privately’ after Kate announced her cancer diagnosis.
They also released a statement to Harper’s Bazaar magazine, saying: ‘We wish health and healing for Kate and the family.’
Last month Harry was in Canada for the Vancouver Whistler 2025’s One Year to Go celebrations, which aimed to raise awareness of the 2025 Invictus Games, which will take place between February 8 and February 16 next year.
Meghan told the crowd: ‘We’re going to be cheering for you and we can’t wait to one day be able to bring our kids also so they can experience just how amazing this is.’ Birmingham is currently in the process of bidding to be a host city.’
While in Canada, the Duke of Sussex spoke to Good Morning America reporter Will Reeve about King Charles’s shock cancer diagnosis, his life with his family in California as well as his thoughts on becoming an American citizen.
The Duke of Sussex revealed he was ‘grateful’ to have seen his father Charles III in person during a brief 24-hour visit in the UK and hopes the diagnosis can have a ‘reunifying effect’ on the Royal Family.
The nature of his trip, in which he shared a ‘brief 45 minute meeting’ with the King and Camilla and is not believed to have seen his brother William or sister-in-law Kate Middleton , shows how bad things have really become, royal expert Jennie Bond said previously.
He flew into London on a ten-hour flight from Los Angeles and arrived at the royal residence at 2.42pm before spending around 45 minutes with King Charles.
It comes after the Duke of Sussex lost a High Court challenge against the Home Office over a decision to downgrade his taxpayer-funded personal security when he visits Britain.
Harry took legal action over the move by the Executive Committee for the Protection of Royalty and Public Figures (Ravec) after being told he would no longer be given the ‘same degree’ of publicly-funded protection when in the UK – which would include any Invictus Games-related visits.
Harry and Meghan attended a preliminary event for the Invictus Games in the States last year.
Currently, Birmingham is in the process of bidding to be the host city this May,
The Prince, 39, launched the games back in March 2014 at the Copper Box arena in London and will see them being hosted in the UK again after the Government launched a £26million bid to host the event.
Senior royals will need to take a stand on if they support the event, which they did at the first games in 2014 when then-Prince Charles, Camilla, and Prince William appeared alongside Harry for the opening ceremony.
But at the time, he was a full-time working royal – and any tensions and spats were not aired in public.
Since 2014, the Invictus Games have become a popular global sports competition which 22 countries and more than 500 athletes have been involved with.
It is an incredibly important piece of work for Prince Harry and one of his last remaining legacies from when he was a full-time working Royal – and one which he feels very proud of. The games also allow him to reconnect with fellow military veterans.
Earlier this month, Prince Harry updated his records in this country to make clear that he no longer lives in Britain.
Filings published by Companies House today for ‘Prince Henry Charles Albert David Duke of Sussex’ record that his ‘New Country/State Usually Resident’ is now the USA. It was previously recorded as the United Kingdom.
The move triggers questions as to whether the prince will stay in Frogmore Cottage for the duration of the games after the King asked him and his family to vacate.
It comes soon after it emerged that the King has been given permission by doctors to return to public-facing duties after being diagnosed with cancer.
His Majesty is not yet clear of the disease and is still undergoing treatment, but his medical team are understood to be ‘pleased with the progress made so far’ and ‘remain positive’ about his recovery.
To mark the good news Buckingham Palace have also announced two major milestone events, the first of many in the coming months, and passed on Their Majesties grateful thanks for all the good wishes they have received.
Kate and Charles are known to have formed a strong bond in the 13 years since her marriage to his son Prince William as she has been welcomed into the Royal Family.
And this relationship is said to have been ‘cemented’ by both senior royals being in for operations at the same time in January.
Kate made reference in her public video message to ‘all those whose lives have been affected by cancer,’ adding: ‘You are not alone.’ And this has been seen as a clear nod to Charles too.
She said she had delayed making any public announcement so that she and her husband Prince William could tell their three children Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis.
Her statement came amid mounting speculation on the Princess’ whereabouts in the months after her surgery.
James Parker is a UK-based entertainment aficionado who delves into the glitz and glamour of the entertainment industry. From Hollywood to the West End, he offers readers an insider’s perspective on the world of movies, music, and pop culture.
