Prince Harry and wife Meghan Markle will begin their tour to Nigeria on Friday, May 10, as they visit the country's military headquarters and promote the Invictus Games. This will be the couple's first trip to Nigeria together.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex are set to arrive in the African nation the morning before they are set to visit the Nigerian Defence Headquarters in Abuja, before they visit Lagos. Nigerian officials said the couple's trip will last until Monday, and a royal representative for the couple confirmed to The Mirror that members of the media will also be joining them on the trip.
Harry has been in London since Tuesday, May 7, where he attended various events relating to the competition, which included a service at St. Paul's Cathedral, as he celebrates the Games' 10th anniversary. Harry will reportedly travel to Nigeria on Wednesday, May 8, with Meghan expected to be flying to Nigeria from Los Angeles to reunite with her husband before their three-day visit.
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While in Nigeria, the pair reportedly will watch a volleyball game, and visit military hospitals and charities in Abuja and Lagos. The Defence HQ revealed their itinerary in a press conference on Thursday, May 9, saying they are also scheduled to meet injured armed forces personnel and their families.
The couple were invited to Nigeria by the Chief of Defence Staff, General Christopher Musa, who met Harry last September at the games in Düsseldorf, Germany. Air Vice Marshal Abidemi Marquis, the director of sports at the Nigerian Defence Ministry, said in a press briefing on Facebook Live on Thursday, that Harry and Meghan would visit the Wuse Light Academy before seeing Nigeria's security chief.
He shared that they will also travel to Kaduna state to go to the Nigerian Army Reference Hospital to visit with recovering wounded and injured soldiers. He shared that on Saturday, May 11, they will have an exhibition of a novelty volleyball match between The Chief of Defence Staff team and the Duke's team. A reception will follow where the couple will be interacting with the families of the soldiers, loved ones of soldiers and officers killed in action, and other service members.
Harry and Meghan will then visit Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu of Lagos State on Sunday, May 12, and then attend a basketball exhibition match at a school. A final reception will take place before their visit comes to an end on Monday. Meghan is reportedly thrilled to visit Nigeria after learning about her Nigerian ancestry, which she revealed on her Spotify podcast Archetypes in 2022, sharing that she is "43 per cent Nigerian."
During a visit to the Nigerian team at last year's Invictus Games in Dusseldorf, Meghan was given the name Amira Ngozi Lolo. Amira means "warrior princess", "Ngozi" means blessed and "Lolo" means royal wife. "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," Harry said in a speech at last year's games.
The inaugural Invictus Games took place in September 2014 in London's Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, where over 400 competitors participated from 13 nations around the world. The Games were founded as a sporting event to benefit injured military personnel and veterans.