Meghan Markle arrives one hour late to talk as she makes bizarre two-word Nigeria comment
Meghan Markle left Prince Harry behind to co-host a Woman in Leadership event in Nigeria’s capital Abuja.
Meghan Markle issued a strong statement to demonstrate her feelings towards Nigeria as she described it at a panel talk as “my country” in a bizarre two-word comment.
Despite turning up an hour late, the Duchess of Sussex went down a storm as she co-hosted a Woman in Leadership event alongside Dr.
Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, the first woman and the first African to become director-general of the World Trade Organization.
The statement could be seen as odd, as despite Meghan recently learning of her 43 percent Nigerian heritage, she has lived in the USA most of her life, with only a brief stint in the UK – so fans might expect her to refer to America as “my country”, rather than Nigeria.
Speaking at the event in Abuja on Saturday night, Meghan said: “I want to start by saying thank you very much for just how gracious you’ve all been in welcoming my husband and I to this country… my country.
“I am just flattered and honoured and inspired. It has been a whirlwind 24 hours since we arrived. And I very quickly got the memo that I need to wear more colour, so I can fit in with all of you and your incredible fashion.”
She and Prince Harry are spending three days in Nigeria for a “private visit”, although many have compared the trip to a classic royal tour.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex Visit Nigeria
Meghan Markle described Nigeria as “my country”
In an episode of her podcast Archetypes Meghan explained how she discovered she was 43 percent of Nigerian heritage after taking a genealogy test.
After making the discovery she rang her mother Doria Ragland “because I wanted to know if she had any awareness of it”, adding that the news was “exciting for both of us”.
The mother of two explained that it was important for them because being African-American “is really not knowing so much about your lineage or background, where you come from specifically.
Meghan Markle sitting at table at event
The Duchess revealed her Nigerian heritage
“It’s been really eye-opening and humbling to be able to know more about my heritage and to be able to know this is just the beginning of that discovery.”
Meghan also opened up about being a mother, a rare admission for the couple as Prince Archie, five, and Princess Lilibet, who will be three next month, are kept in relative privacy.
She told the audience that she “loved being a mum” and her children are “very chatty”, with the repsonsibilities of motherhood meaning she has had to learn how to have balance in her life.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex Visit Nigeria
Harry and Meghan are continuing their tour until Monday
The Duchess said: “What I think that to mean now is that that balance will always change for you.”That balance, what seems balanced ten years ago is going to shift.”
On Friday she also told a charming anecdote about Lilibet while visiting the Wuse Lightway Academy: “Our daughter, Lili, she’s much, much tinier than you guys. She’s about to turn three.
“And a few weeks ago she looked at me and she would just see the reflection in my eyes. And she [goes], ‘Mama, I see me in you’, Oh, now she was talking really literally. But I hung onto those words in a very different way.
“And I thought, yes, I do see me in you, and you see me in you.”
