Sequel to Nigeria’s debut appearance at Prince Harry’s 2023 Invictus Games which was held in Düsseldorf, Germany, Harry and his wife, Meghan Markle will visit Nigeria in May.
According to Yahoo Entertainment reports Sunday, the visit of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex owes to the invitation to visit the country on behalf of the Chief of Defence Staff, Mohammed Badaru.
The Invictus Games an international multi-sport event first held in 2014, for wounded, injured and sick servicemen and women, both serving and veterans were founded by Prince Harry the Duke of Sussex in partnership with the United Kingdom’s Ministry of Defence.
Nigeria’s Chief of Defence Staff Badaru who was an attendant at last year’s event, had expressed willingness to host the games should Nigeria be granted the opportunity.
In 2023, among the 21 participating nations, Nigeria, alongside Colombia and Israel, were new entrants at the Invictus Games which welcomed 500 athletes.
As contained in a statement by the acting Director of Defence Information, Brig -Gen. Tukur Vusau, “The visit is to consolidate Nigeria’s stronghold at the game and the possibility of hosting the event in later years.”
The report recalled how the royal British prince and his wife “spent time with the Nigerian team, whom Harry said his wife was supporting during his opening speech.”
Harry joked that the event may be more competitive this year since his wife had discovered that she’s of Nigerian descent. “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,” he said.
On May 8, Harry, 39, will attend the Invictus Games’ 10th anniversary celebration at St. Paul’s Cathedral in London. Soon after, he will be joined by Meghan, 42, in Nigeria, according to the report.
During their visit, the couple will meet with service members and will take part in a variety of cultural activities.
The Duchess revealed she’s 43% Nigerian after she took a genealogy test in 2022.
Markle made this known in the latest episode of her podcast, Archetypes, where she expressed her desire to learn more about her roots, Mirror reported.
She said, “I just had my genealogy done a couple of years ago. I’m 43% Nigerian,” adding, “I’m going to start to dig deeper into all of this because anyone that I’ve told, especially Nigerian women, are just like, what?”
Harry and Meghan posed for a photo with Team Nigeria and the National Flag, and the squad presented them with a plaque from the Chief of Defence — plus a new nickname for Meghan.
The Duchess of Sussex received the name “Amira Ngozi Lolo,” which bears a royal meaning – “Amira is the name of a warrior princess from a legend, while Ngozi means “blessed” and Lolo means “royal wife,” the report stated.
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