Prince Harry and Meghan Markle began their 72-hour whistlestop tour of Nigeria today with a trip to a school supported by the couple’s Ar...
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle began their 72-hour whistlestop tour of Nigeria today with a trip to a school supported by the couple’s Archewell Foundation.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex met officials and children at the Wuse Lightway Academy this morning, hours after their arrival at Abuja in the early hours.
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.
On arrival 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.
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.'
It comes after the duke celebrated the 10th anniversary of the Invictus Games at St Paul's Cathedral in London on Wednesday.
Harry was joined for the service of thanksgiving by close relatives of his mother Diana, Princess of Wales and a mentor who supported him after her death, along with hundreds of people from the 'Invictus family'.
The St Paul's service to recognise the Paralympic-style competition the royal founded began as a few miles away the King met guests at the first Buckingham Palace garden party of the year.
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