The Duke and Duchess of Sussex arrived in Nigeria on Friday, initiating a three-day private visit to the West African nation, where they will meet with wounded soldiers and visit local charities, officials said. The Sussexes are visiting the country as it’s now a “part of the Invictus community,” Air Vice-Marshal Abidemi Marquis, director of sports for the Nigerian Defence Headquarters, said during a media briefing Thursday.

Their first engagement was an event hosted at a school in the Nigerian capital, Abuja, where Meghan told students: “I see myself in all of you.”

Outside the Lightway Academy, students lined up patiently to welcome the royal couple, alongside a troupe of dancers. They were there to kick off a two-day mental health summit run by the GEANCO Foundation, which supports girls and young women across the country with menstrual health products and education.

Prince Harry and Meghan were invited to Nigeria by the chief of defence staff, Christopher Musa, the country’s highest-ranking military official. He formally welcomed them to Nigeria at a meeting Friday lunchtime at the defence headquarters in the heart of Abuja.

The duke expressed gratitude to their hosts, commending Nigeria for recognising the power of sport in the rehabilitation process for the injured or wounded. “You’re not the first country to notice that it not only transforms lives but saves lives. I’m eternally grateful to you all of you for joining the Invictus movement for Nigeria and for every single soul who’s been injured protecting the freedoms of Nigeria,” he said.

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Marquis said the duchess was keen to accompany her husband on the visit “as part of her lineage and heritage.” Meghan revealed in 2022 that she discovered she was 43% Nigerian from a genealogy test.

The trip to Nigeria sparked a wave of excitement among the public when it was announced two weeks ago.

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