Harry, the youngest son of King Charles, lives in the US with Meghan and their two children after he gave up working as a member of the royal family in 2020. He served as a military helicopter pilot in Afghanistan.
Abike Dabiri Erewa, chairperson of the Nigerian Diaspora Commission, brought wide smiles and claps from Meghan when she exclaimed: “Princess Meghan is a Nigerian.”
She was referring to a podcast in which Meghan said she had Nigerian heritage.
Harry earlier played in a volleyball match as an animated Meghan clapped every point for both teams and broadly smiled and cheered when Harry's first point was notched up.
On Friday, the pair were greeted with cheers, song and dance as they visited the Lightway Academy, which is run by a nonprofit organisation supported by their Archewell Foundation. They spoke about mental health, which carries deep-rooted stigma in conservative Nigeria.
“Too many people don't want to talk about it 'cause 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,” said Harry.
“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,” Harry said, adding that “there is no shame” to acknowledge it.
Meghan said they were honoured to make their first visit to Nigeria and urged the students not 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,” she said.
The couple also visited a kindergarten class, and when introduced to a five-year-old student, the oldest in the class, Meghan said: “Our son Archie's five. He turned five last week.”
PICS | In Nigeria, Prince Harry speaks of 'brave souls' losing lives in conflict
Prince Harry spoke in Nigeria on Saturday of the tragic loss of the “brave souls” in the country's military who had lost their lives in conflicts, and said he felt “goosebumps” after seeing plans for a new centre to rehabilitate injured troops.
Nigerian forces are fighting jihadists in the northeast of the country and armed kidnapping gangs in the northwest.
Harry, the 39-year-old Duke of Sussex, and his wife Meghan arrived in Africa's most populous nation on Friday in a trip linked to the Invictus Games, an international sporting event that the Duke of Sussex started a decade ago for troops injured in action.
Nigeria first participated in the Games in 2023.
At a reception for military families in Abuja, Harry said he had on Friday met 50 wounded soldiers during a trip to northern Kaduna and could see that the injuries were defining their lives, but there were some who had smiles on their faces.
“What this proved to me, what this reminds me of, is the power of seeing what is possible post injury,” said Harry, adding that “seeing the plans for the new Invictus Centre gives me goosebumps.”
Harry, the youngest son of King Charles, lives in the US with Meghan and their two children after he gave up working as a member of the royal family in 2020. He served as a military helicopter pilot in Afghanistan.
Abike Dabiri Erewa, chairperson of the Nigerian Diaspora Commission, brought wide smiles and claps from Meghan when she exclaimed: “Princess Meghan is a Nigerian.”
She was referring to a podcast in which Meghan said she had Nigerian heritage.
Harry earlier played in a volleyball match as an animated Meghan clapped every point for both teams and broadly smiled and cheered when Harry's first point was notched up.
On Friday, the pair were greeted with cheers, song and dance as they visited the Lightway Academy, which is run by a nonprofit organisation supported by their Archewell Foundation. They spoke about mental health, which carries deep-rooted stigma in conservative Nigeria.
“Too many people don't want to talk about it 'cause 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,” said Harry.
“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,” Harry said, adding that “there is no shame” to acknowledge it.
Meghan said they were honoured to make their first visit to Nigeria and urged the students not 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,” she said.
The couple also visited a kindergarten class, and when introduced to a five-year-old student, the oldest in the class, Meghan said: “Our son Archie's five. He turned five last week.”