The reason why Meghan Markle will be ‘treated as warrior princess’ during Nigeria tour

Meghan Markle and Prince Harry will be visiting Nigeria soon, having been invited there following last year’s Invictus Games. Meghan Markle will be welcomed to Nigeria with open arms as she will be treated like a “warrior princess” due to her ancestral links to the African nation. She and Prince Harry will be travelling to West Africa to visit Nigeria this month, having been invited following last year’s Invictus Games in Germany, when Harry struck up a conversation with defence chief General Christopher Gwabin Musa.

Speaking on her Archetypes podcast back in 2022, the Duchess of Sussex revealed she is 43 percent of Nigerian heritage, something she’d uncovered after taking a genealogy test. A member of Nigeria’s Invictus Team, Glory Essien, referred to Meghan as “my Nigerian sister” and it is expected she will be reunited with the couple when they are in the country. The team also gave Meghan a nickname: Amira Ngozi Lolo, with Amira’ meaning ‘warrior princess’, ‘Ngozi’ meaning ‘blessed’ and ‘Lolo’ translated as ‘royal wife’.

Last year was the first time Nigeria had sent a team to the Invictus Games, with ex-British soldier, businessman and fundraiser Derrick Cobinah saying Meghan had been “deeply touched” at receiving her own Nigerian name. He added: “She said she couldn’t wait to visit Nigeria for her mum and the kids.” There has been some concerns raised over security in the country, as Nigeria was named the ninth most dangerous country in Africa by the World Population Review.

Retired chief superintendent Dai Davies, a former head of royal protection, told the Daily Mail: “This appears to be a quasi-royal tour but without any of the official back-up for it. It seems terribly badly thought-out to me.” However Harry and Meghan pay an estimated £1.58million a year for their own private protection, with their team likely to be with them throughout the trip. Nigerian army spokesman Brigadier-General Tukur Gusau confirmed to the Mail that the Sussexes will fly into the capital city, Abuja, with visits to Lagos and Kaduna also thought to be in the schedule.

Ben Shemang, a former director of news at radio station Voice of Nigeria, explained that as this is not an official state visit Harry and Meghan will likely stay in either an ambassador’s residence or a swanky hotel, such as the Transcorp Hilton Abuja. A trip to the Army barracks in Abuja is likely to be on the couple’s itinerary, as is a banquet with military officials inside the Scorpion Officers’ Mess.

A vibrant cultural military event known as WASA, or West African Social Activities, may be put on to entertain them, which would include a ceremonial tug of war for Harry and Meghan to take part in. The Nigerian Bulletin says there will also be visits to sports facilities and meetings with athletes and activities “aimed at promoting mental health awareness, physical rehabilitation and the importance of sports in the recovery of service members.”