The duchess says her heritage has come as no surprise to people she and Prince Harry have met on their visit to Nigeria – where women are defined as “brave, resilient, courageous, beautiful”.
By Dylan Donnelly, news reporter
Sunday 12 May 2024 15:54, UK
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Meghan talks about her Nigerian heritage
The Duchess of Sussex has said Nigeria is “my country” and that it is “humbling” to learn about her background while there on a visit.
On Saturday, during her and Prince Harry’s three-day trip to the West African country, Meghan said learning more about her heritage has “been eye-opening”.
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The duchess shared on her Archetypes podcast two years ago that she had taken a DNA-based test that showed she was “43% Nigerian”.
Appearing at an event on women in leadership in the Nigerian capital of Abuja, the duchess said: “Never in a million years would I understand it as much as I do now.
“And what has been echoed so much in the past day is, ‘Oh, we are not so surprised when we found out you are Nigerian’.
“It is a compliment to you because what they define as a Nigerian woman is brave, resilient, courageous, beautiful.”
The audience was asked to suggest a Nigerian name for Meghan at the event.
One person shouted out “Ifeoma” – a name from the Igbo tribe meaning “a treasured thing” – while another suggested “Omowale”, which comes from the Yoruba tribe and means “the child has come home”.
Earlier, the duke and duchess had visited a volleyball court, where Harry joined Nigerian athletes for an exhibition game of sitting volleyball.
On the first day of their trip, Harry and Meghan also told schoolchildren there’s “no shame” in talking about mental health.
The couple were invited to Nigeria by the chief of the defence staff, and are also there to promote the duke’s Invictus Games, which stages sporting events for wounded, sick or injured veterans and serving military personnel.
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The visit is the Sussex royals’ first to Africa since 2019. During their last official visit as working royals, the couple visited South Africa, Malawi, Angola and Botswana.
On Wednesday, Harry marked the 10th anniversary of the Invictus Games at St Paul’s Cathedral in London.
He did not meet with the King or Prince William while in the UK due to his father’s “full programme”, the duke’s spokesperson said.