Meghan to ‘explore her ancestry and lineage’ in Nigeria
Prince Harry and Meghan dance in Nyanga, Cape Town, during their tour of South Africa on Sept 23, 2019 – Chris Jackson/Getty Images
The Duchess of Sussex is looking forward to visiting Nigeria to “explore her ancestry and lineage,” a government official has revealed.
The Duke of Sussex, 39, and the Duchess, 42, are due to arrive in the African country on Friday for a “private” whirlwind tour that will take in three cities in three days.
The focus of the trip – their first to Nigeria – is to highlight the country’s efforts to rehabilitate injured soldiers as it bids to host the Invictus Games in 2029.
Meghan will also host a “Women in Leadership” event.
But for the Duchess, it is a much more personal trip, Air Vce Mshl Abidemi Marquis, director of sports at the Nigerian Defence Ministry, suggested during a press briefing on Thursday.
It comes after Meghan revealed on her Archetypes podcast last October that she had discovered, via a genealogy test, that she was “43 per cent Nigerian”.
Meghan and Prince Harry visit the Auwal Mosque in Cape Town during day two of their royal tour of South Africa, Sept 24, 2019 – Samir Hussein/WireImage
Asked if she knew which tribe her ancestors were from, the Duchess admitted she did not but said she was planning to “start to dig deeper into all of this”.
Mr Marquis said the Sussexes’ visit would prove a huge boost to the nation’s military personnel before adding of Meghan: “You know, recently, (she) did a DNA genealogy test and it was confirmed that she’s 43 per cent Nigerian, so she also is looking forward to coming to Nigeria to explore her ancestry and lineage.”
The Duke revealed at the opening ceremony of the Invictus Games in Dusseldorf last September that his wife would be cheering on Nigeria.
During a visit to the Nigerian team, Meghan was even given her own Nigerian name, Amira Ngozi Lolo. Amira means warrior princess from a legend, while Ngozi means blessed and Lolo means royal wife.
The Duke, who has been in London for the past three days, will be reunited with Meghan in Nigeria.
“The reception will be a quiet reception because they will be travelling 14 hours to get to this place,” Mr Marquis said. “They will be taken to the hotel.”
Meghan and Prince Harry visit the Waves for Change compound kitchen, where charity The Lunchbox Fund, provides 30,000 meals daily at Monwabisi Beach in Cape Town, on Sept 24, 2019 – Chris Jackson/Getty Images
After a rest, the couple will visit the Light Academy, a school in nearby Wuse, before meeting Gen Christopher Musa, the Chief of Defence Staff, at the Nigerian Defence Headquarters.
In the afternoon, they will travel to Kaduna, where the Duke will meet injured military personnel at the Nigerian Army Reference Hospital.
Mr Marquis said the royal visit would help aid the recovery of injured military personnel by boosting their “their personal self-esteem” and “improving mental health”.
The hospital was at the centre of a local news story in February, when a suspected outbreak of Lassa fever is said to have killed three health workers and a patient within two days.
Army spokesman Onyema Nwachukwu insisted at the time that the hospital had been fully disinfected after the A&E unit was closed and evacuated.
On Saturday, the Duke will field his own team during a “novelty” seated volleyball match played by Nigeria’s Invictus team, at the officer’s mess.
Meghan with South African female leaders in Cape Town, September 2019 – Sussex Royal/Getty
The exhibition match was organised to engage wounded and injured soldiers, Mr Marquis said. It is unclear whether the Duke will take part. At the inaugural Invictus Games in London, 2014, he appeared to delight in joining a team for a demonstration of the sport.
The Duke and Duchess will then attend a reception for military personnel and their families, as well as the families of soldiers killed in action and serving servicemen and women.
In the afternoon, Meghan will co-host a Women in Leadership event with Dr Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, a Nigerian-American economist who is director general of the World Trade Organisation.
On Sunday, the couple will join a basketball clinic with Giants of Africa, an organisation that promotes youth participation in the sport, attending a cultural reception, and a polo fundraiser for the host’s Invictus team, Nigeria: Unconquered.
The invitation to visit Nigeria was extended at the Invictus Games last September, when the Nigerian team joined the event for the first time.
Nigerian military chiefs are hoping the Sussexes’ visit will give a major boost to their campaign to host the Invictus Games.
Vying with Italy and South Korea
The country is thought to be vying with Italy and South Korea to host the 2029 Games after Canada in 2025 and then either the UK or the US in 2027.
Mr Marquis said there were several reasons why they wanted the Sussexes to visit their country.
“One, because Nigeria is now a member of the Invictus community, and his coming will lay credence to the fact that, you know, being part of the community, you need to be accepted.
“Number two, that Nigeria is also looking forward to hosting an Invictus Games and three, the need to build a state-of-the-art structure for the management of the wounded and injured soldiers, particularly those with post traumatic stress syndrome.
“And finally, you know, his wife recently did a DNA genealogy test and it was confirmed that she’s 43 per cent Nigerian, so she also is looking forward to coming to Nigeria to explore her ancestry and lineage.”
Ahead of the visit, the Duke attended a charity event for bereaved military children in London on Thursday.
At the event, he met with 50 children and young people who have experienced the death of a military parent.
He spent time chatting to them as well as joining them for games such as edible races, flipper challenge and bucket head.
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