Meghan Markle and Prince Harry Receive Festive Welcome in Lagos on Final Day of Nigeria Tour

Meghan Markle and Prince Harry embarked on their latest tour of Nigeria in a festive fashion.

On Sunday, May 12, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex traveled from the capital, Abuja, to Lagos, where they were welcomed at the airport for the third and final day of their trip to Nigeria with a traditional dance performance.

Prince Harry, 39, and Meghan, 42 — who wore a white Carolina Herrera button-down shirt paired with a traditional Nigerian skirt given to her during their visit to Abuja — were treated to a ceremonial welcome from the state’s governor, local dancers and well-wishers who attended see. The couple gasped and clapped as the dancers were lifted up to form human towers.

On Saturday, Meghan said she was reviewing her wardrobe in Nigeria after wearing a range of neutral colors since the couple’s arrival.

“I got the memo very quickly that I needed to wear more colors so I could blend in with all of you and your amazing fashion!” she said during her appearance on a panel alongside Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, Director-General of the World Trade Organization, in Abuja on May 11.

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After arriving, Harry and Meghan headed to a local school to take part in a basketball clinic with the non-profit Giants of Africa.

In March 1990, Prince Harry’s parents, King Charles and Princess Diana, received a similarly warm welcome when they arrived at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Lagos for an official visit.

Meghan Markle and Prince Harry arrive in Lagos on May 12, 2024.

Simon Perry/Instagram

Prince Harry and Meghan are in Nigeria at the invitation of the Chief of Defense Staff, General Christopher Gwabin Musa OFR, the country’s top military official, and the last day of their official itinerary is full of stops in Lagos. After a basketball clinic with the Giants of Africa, he will attend a cultural reception and close the day by collecting donations for Nigeria Polo: The Unconquered.

The national veterans’ charity is working in partnership with the Invictus Games Foundation, bringing Harry and Meghan’s journey full circle. It was previously announced that their visit to Nigeria will highlight the Prince Harry Adaptive Sports Tournament for Wounded, Injured and Sick Servicemen and Veterans, which debuted for Nigeria at the last cycle of the competition in Düsseldorf, Germany in September 2023.

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s visit to Nigeria is significant as it is their first international tour since they stepped down from their royal roles in 2020 and began on May 10. The journey could be particularly poignant for Meghan, who revealed on her Archetypes 2022 podcast that she found out she was 43% Nigerian after having her genealogy done “a few years ago”.

During her first outing at Lightway Academy in Abuja on the first day, Meghan spoke from the heart to schoolchildren during the inaugural GEANCO Foundation Mental Health Summit when she said: “I see myself in all of you.” Later in the day, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex visited the headquarters of the Chief of Defense Staff, where Meghan left a message alluding to her legacy.

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“With gratitude for the support of the Invictus community. And for welcoming me home,” she wrote in the visitor’s book on May 20 in her signature calligraphy. Prince Harry even commented on his wife’s handwriting, noting, “She has beautiful handwriting” — no surprise since Meghan used to work as a calligrapher!

As seen in a photo taken by PEOPLE’s chief foreign correspondent Simon Perry, who is exclusively covering the trip to Nigeria, the Duke of Sussex also shared his heartfelt message in the book.

“Thank you for welcoming us to your beautiful country, together we will heal our troops,” Prince Harry wrote.

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Meghan Markle speaks at a panel in Abuja on May 11, 2024.

AP Photo/Sunday Alamba

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex met several members of the military and took part in various cultural activities while in Nigeria, some involving the Invictus Games. Nigeria’s Minister of Defense, Alhaji Mohammed Abubakar Badaru, has also expressed interest in hosting the competition in the future, should Nigeria be given the opportunity.

As a former captain in the British Armed Forces and founder of the Invictus Games, advocating for veterans and their families has long been close to Harry’s heart. On May 10, he made a solo trip to the Nigerian Army Kaduna Reference Hospital in Kaduna, where his empathy for fellow veterans shone through as he toured the wards.

Speaking at a reception for military families and widows’ associations at the Defense Officers’ Headquarters in Abuja on May 11, Harry shared his “sincere gratitude” to the Chief of Defense Staff and the Defense Minister.

“Your reception and energy has been nothing short of extraordinary,” he said.

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Source: HIS Education