Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are in Nigeria!
The couple are embarking on their first official international tour since stepping away from the royal fam in 2020, and they are kicking things off at the Lightway Academy in Abuja on Friday. There, they helped introduce the inaugural mental health summit put on by the GEANCO Foundation.
As Perezcious readers know, the Duke of Sussex came straight from London, where he was celebrating the 10th anniversary of the Invictus Games. While his wife didn’t attend, she did briefly touch down in England for a layover, where she met up with her hubby in the airport’s Windsor Suite before traveling together to Nigeria, per royal reporters.
Related: Why Royals Didn’t Attend Harry’s Invictus Games Event
Right after landing, they headed to the school where they were greeted by local performers, students, and a flower-covered banner that read, “We Are Honored to Have You!” Harry was in a linen button-down and white pants while Meg wore a peach-colored maxi dress. They both also wore brown beaded necklaces they were gifted.
After meeting with lots of staff and students, they each gave their own speech about the importance of mental health. The Spare author asked, via People, “if I say mental health do you know what it means?” He went on:
“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.”
Harry continued:
“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?”
When the Suits alum took the mic, she gushed:
“You see why I’m married to him? It’s so inspiring because he speaks the truth.”
Elsewhere in her speech, she shared:
“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.”
The Duchess of Sussex — who recently discovered her Nigerian heritage — even made a sweet reference to their 2-year-old daughter Princess Lilibet, telling the audience:
“Your teachers see that in you. And we see that in you. Interestingly, so does our daughter, Lili; she’s much tinier than you guys, about to turn three. 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.”
The Archetypes host furthered:
“It is a complete honor to have our first visit to Nigeria be here with all of you. We believe in you. We believe in your futures. We believe in your ability to continue to tell your stories and to just be honest with each other. … There is no need to suffer in silence. Just make sure that you are taking care of yourselves and that begins with your mental health by really talking about whatever’s coming up for you.”
After wishing a happy birthday to James Holt, the director of the couple’s Archewell Foundation, the mother of two concluded:
“So just like that, we celebrate all the good stuff and we are with each other even in the moments that are sad.”
Very well said! See more from their visit (below):
Seems like their first tour stop was a success! Cool to see them out and about like this again after so long! They are expected to be in the country for a three-day visit, which will include meeting with wounded soldiers and visiting local charities. Thoughts? Share them (below)…
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