Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s forthcoming trip to Nigeria isn’t impressing their fellow British royals. A commentator says other British royals are probably “rolling their eyes” at the visit slated to take place on the heels of the Invictus Games anniversary service on May 8, 2024. Why? Because it’s all too familiar.
Harry and Meghan are heading to Nigeria for Invictus Games meetings and ‘cultural activities’
Shortly after the Duke of Sussex’s attendance at the Invictus Games service in London, England, was confirmed came another update about him and the Duchess of Sussex. Nigeria’s Brigadier General Tukur Gusau, director of defense information, said in a press release they’re “honor[ed] and delight[ed]” to have Harry and Meghan visit Nigeria.
“During their stay in the country, they will be meeting with Service members and will be hosted to arrays of cultural activities,” Gusau said.
Nigeria joined the Invictus Games in 2022 before participating in the competition for the first time in 2023.
Gusau also noted the visit’s part of “consolidat[ing] Nigeria’s strong hold at the games and the possibility of hosting the event [in] later years.”
Meaning after Harry travels to London, England, where he’ll attend a service at St. Paul’s Cathedral celebrating the Invictus Games, he’ll head to Nigeria—exact dates have yet to be announced—to meet Meghan for their joint visit.
The Nigeria trip is Harry and Meghan’s attempt to ‘one-up’ the royal family
According to the Mail on Sunday’s Charlotte Griffiths, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s U.K. relatives are probably “rolling their eyes” at the Nigeria trip announcement.
“Of course, they never try anything other than get a one-up on the royal family,” she told GB News (via Mirror). “But I think what they’re really doing is on paper, they’re trying to celebrate 10 years of Invictus Games.”
Meghan has joined Harry at every Invictus Games since 2017. They even made their first public appearance together as a couple when Canada hosted the competition in Toronto, Ontario.
“Let’s face it,” she continued. “The real reason is that they need content for Netflix.” (The couple has two new shows in the works at the streamer.) “They want to appear as quasi-royals. They want to carry on conducting quasi-tours as if they are still members of the royal family.”
“I think the fact they are going to a Commonwealth country when they describe the Commonwealth as Empire 2.0 is a little bit rich,” Griffiths added, referencing Harry & Meghan.
Another commentator, Daniela Elser, offered a similar critique. Writing in an op-ed for Australia’s Herald Sun, she said Harry and Meghan haven’t “quite worked out how to truly divorce their new philanthropic careers where they can be as bold and creative as they fancy.”
Instead, she noted, they “seem to routinely fall back on the old palace playbook, albeit under the Sussex banner.”
Meghan Markle has a personal connection to Nigeria
The Invictus Games aren’t likely to be the sole focus of Harry and Meghan’s trip to Nigeria. There’s also a personal element. Meghan revealed on her Archetypes podcast in 2022 that she’s of Nigerian descent.
“I just had my genealogy done a couple [of] years ago,” Meghan told Ziwe. At that, her podcast guest responded: “What? What are you?”
“Forty-three percent Nigerian,” the former Suits star said. “I’m going to start to dig deeper into all this because anybody that I’ve told, especially Nigerian women, are like, ‘What!’”
“The visit, therefore, serves a double purpose,” per Tatler. “Both helping to continue the couple’s work around the Invictus Games and offering Meghan an opportunity to explore her heritage.”
