The Duke and Duchess of Sussex are currently on a tour – similar to that taken on by working royals – after being invited to the West African country by its chief of defence staff. The couple will take part in various “cultural activities”, meet the locals and learn more about Meghan’s Nigerian ancestry.
Their first public engagement of the trip was at the Wuse Lightway Academy in Abuja, where they chatted to the students about mental health.
“If I say mental health do you know what it means?” Harry asked the kids during his presentation, according to People magazine.
“In some cases around the world, in more than you would believe, there is a stigma when it comes to mental health. Too many people don’t want to talk about it because it’s invisible. It’s something in our mind that we can’t see. It’s not like a broken leg, it’s not like a broken wrist.
“It’s something that we are still relatively unsure of. But guess what? Every single person in this room, the youngest, the oldest, every single person has mental health.
“So therefore, you have to look after yourself to be able to look after other people. And other people have to be able to look after themselves, to look after you. That’s the way it works. And there is no shame to be able to acknowledge that today is a bad day, okay?”
Then, when it was Meghan’s turn to speak, she praised her husband for his eloquent speech.
“Do you see why I married him? He’s so smart. And so inspiring because he speaks the truth,” she told the pupils.
“Every single one of you has a story. We all have our story. And there’s no shame in any single one of your stories. Even on the hardest days or darkest days, everything is a pillar of your strength by each of you being there.
“Your teachers see that in you. And we see that in you.”
Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex, and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, visit Lightway Academy in Abuja, Nigeria. Photo / Getty Images
The former Suits actress then made a sweet reference to her young daughter, Princess Lilibet, 2.
“Interestingly, so does our daughter, Lili; she’s much tinier than you guys, about to turn 3. A few weeks ago, she looked at me and saw her reflection in my eyes. She said, ‘Mama, I see me in you’.
“Now, she was talking literally, but I held onto those words in a different way. I thought, yes, I do see me in you, and you see me in you. But as I look around this room, I see myself in all of you as well.”
According to The Sun, Markle secretly travelled from Los Angeles to London’s Heathrow Airport on Thursday night, where she met with Prince Harry in the ultra-exclusive VIP Windsor Suite. They then reportedly travelled first class on a British Airways flight to Abuja to begin their first tour of Nigeria together.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex are touring Nigeria after being invited to the West African country by its chief of defence staff. Photo / Getty Images
The three-day visit is a significant one for the Duchess of Sussex, who recently discovered her own Nigerian heritage, which she chatted about on her Archetypes podcast two years ago.
The visit to the West African country will also see the pair discuss its possible hosting of the 2029 Invictus Games.
