Prince Harry and Meghan Markle Land in Nigeria
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have arrived in Nigeria after briefly reuniting in London's Heathrow Airport on Thursday.
According to OK!, the Duchess of Sussex waited for Harry to join her in the VIP Windsor Suite, after which the couple took a British Airways flight to Abuja—the capital of Nigeria, located in the middle of the country.
Having hopefully caught a few Zs on their overnight flight, the Sussexes have already embarked on their full schedule for the visit, which they've undertaken as part of the 10-year anniversary celebrations for the Invictus Games.
The couple visited a school, the Lightway Academy, where they participated in games, and are also scheduled to meet with the country's Chief of Defense Staff on Friday, per ABC News.
Harry and Meghan have several other engagements planned for their time in Nigeria, including two events related to Nigeria: Unconquered, a charity organization which works in collaboration with the Invictus Games Foundation. They will divide their time between Abuja and Lagos, Nigeria's former capital and current economic center.
The trip is an especially meaningful one for the couple, as the duchess found out in recent years that she is 43 percent Nigerian. Nigeria was a first-time participant in the 2023 Invictus Games, and Harry joked at the time, "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."
The Sussexes' visit to Nigeria comes off the heels of Harry's short time in the U.K., where he attended a special service to celebrate the Invictus Games' 10-year anniversary at St. Paul's Cathedral.
Harry received a warm reception from members of the public in England, who cheered as he arrived at St. Paul's, but was "snubbed" by father King Charles, who declined to meet with his youngest son, citing his busy schedule.
Experts claim that this move on the King's part was deliberate. Whether it was or not, two compounding factors added to what was likely to have been a difficult time for Harry.
First, the King chose the day of his youngest son's arrival in the U.K. to announce he was appointing Prince William as leader of a regiment Harry served in; and second, the King reportedly ordered working royals to attend his garden party at Buckingham Palace rather than Harry's Invictus event—which he had invited them to. I know there's bad blood, but all the same, whew.
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