Prince Harry and Meghan Markle visit Nigeria, share mental health message with students

Prince Harry and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, are no longer members of the royal family, having left the role four years ago, but over the next few days the Sussexes will take a trip that resembles their royal tours of the pass.

On Friday, Harry and Meghan, who now live in California, began a three-day visit to Nigeria, a West African country they are both visiting for the first time.

Harry and Meghan’s visit has no affiliation with the British royal family and instead comes at the invitation of the country’s chief of defense staff, its most senior military officer.

Their three-day visit will allow the couple to interact not only with military officials, but also with local people, including women leaders and military personnel.

On Friday, Harry and Meghan visited a school together in the capital Abuja, kicking off an inaugural mental health summit organized by a local nonprofit, GEANCO, affiliated with their Archewell Foundation. The couple was cheered and danced by the children.

Harry spoke to students and teachers about why it is important to break the stigma around mental health and recognize how you feel.

“Every person in this room, the youngest, the oldest, every person has mental health. So you have to take care of yourself to be able to take care of other people. And other people have to be able to take care of themselves. , to take care of yourself. That’s how it works. And there’s no shame in being able to admit that today is a bad day, okay?

He added: “(If) you woke up this morning feeling sad and you left school feeling stressed, and you lost a loved one in your family and you don’t know who to talk or who to talk to – – all those things that you might be led to believe are not up for conversation, we are here today to tell you that is not the case Each of these things is everything. completely normal. It’s a human reaction, whether it’s grief, grief or stress, whatever the feeling, it comes from an experience you’ve had. have it, I can have it, every one of us is likely to have it day. So if you take anything away from today, just know that mental health affects every person around the world.”

During a visit to a kindergarten classroom, the children got the couple back on their feet for a happy game of “jump, flip.”

Harry asked a student, “Is singing and dancing your favorite class?”

Meghan added that their daughter Lili, who is about to turn 3, also loves “jumping around.”

They also visited a STEM class where students shared the robot cars they had built, and Meghan revealed that her son Archie, now 5, also loved building.

The couple received a traditional wooden mask and books on Nigerian heritage.

What else to expect from Harry and Meghan’s trip

Harry will also meet injured service members at a local military hospital during the trip, a spokesperson for the Sussexes confirmed to ABC News, and the couple plans to meet with the Chief of the Defense Staff.

On Saturday, the couple plans to attend a training session for Nigeria: Unconquered, a nonprofit organization affiliated with the Invictus Games, a Paralympic-style competition for injured service members that Harry founded in 2014.

Meghan is also expected to co-host an event on women in leadership with the director-general of the World Trade Organization.

On Sunday, their last day in Nigeria, Harry and Meghan will attend a basketball camp and a “cultural reception”, according to their spokesperson.

The couple will also attend a fundraiser for Polo Nigeria: Unconquered.

Just as they did when they were royals, Harry and Meghan are accompanied on the trip by a journalist and pool photographer, according to their spokesperson.

The couple attracted large crowds on royal tours ahead of their exit

During previous official visits as senior royals, Harry and Meghan were known for drawing large crowds and drawing global attention to the countries they visited.

In late 2019, Harry and Meghan traveled to South Africa for what would be their last major royal tour abroad. There, they shined at public events interacting with locals, but also spoke candidly about the struggles they faced as newlyweds and new parents in the public spotlight.

“It’s difficult,” Meghan told ITV presenter Tom Bradby for the documentary, “Harry & Meghan: A trip to Africa.” “I don’t think anyone can understand that.”

A few months later, in January 2020, Harry and Meghan announced to the world that they planned to “step back” from their roles as senior members of the British royal family.

Shortly after this announcement, Buckingham Palace confirmed that the Sussexes would no longer be “working members” of the royal family.

The couple has since moved to California with their two young children, Archie and Lilibet, and have become financially independent, taking on new roles in the world of entertainment and philanthropy.

Harry and Meghan have returned to the UK together since leaving on a few occasions, most recently attending the funeral of the late Queen Elizabeth II in September 2022.

Harry returned to London alone on May 8 to attend a commemorative service for the 10th anniversary of the Invictus Games held at St. Paul’s Cathedral.

The Duke did not see his father King Charles III or his brother Prince William during his visit.