Meghan Markle handed new Nigerian nickname as she opens up about ‘humbling’ experience

Meghan Markle acknowledged Nigeria as ‘my country’ while discussing how she had learned about her heritage via a genealogy test.meghan markle attends abuja panel in red dress

Meghan Markle has been bestowed a new title after opening up about learning about her Nigerian roots during her second day in the country.

The Duchess of Sussex joined World Trade Organisation chief Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala to address a crowd of young women and girls in the Nigerian capital, Abuja.

meghan markle in red dress sitting at table

During the meeting, Meghan described her discovery as “humbling” and said she had become increasingly appreciative of her heritage, calling Nigeria “my country.”

She 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.”

meghan markle in red dress sitting at table

Meghan acknowledged Nigeria as her country as she described her excitement about her heritage (Image: Getty)

The Duchess confirmed in her Spotify podcast Archetype that she had learned she is “43 percent Nigerian” after taking a genealogy test, and immediately shared the news with mum Doria Ragland.

She added: “Being African American, part of it is really not knowing so much about your lineage and background … and it was exciting for both of us.”

Her excitement about her background prompted Mo Abudu, the panel’s moderator and chief executive of EbonyLife media group, to ask attendees to pick a Nigerian name for the Duchess.

Members of the crowd proposed “Ifeoma,” a name used by the Igbo tribe meaning “a treasured thing.” Other attendees suggested “Omowale”, meaning “the child has come home.”

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle in white suit and dress

Meghan highlighted the importance of mentoring young girls during the panel

The Duchess took to the stage to highlight the importance of mentoring young girls and to discuss the challenges women in Nigeria face in securing top leadership roles.

Meghan noted an important aspect of mentoring young girls is “returning home,” to your community to maintain links between one generation and the next.

She said: “You need to come back home, you need to, at least, be a familiar face for the next generation to say, ‘Oh she looks like me and I can be that’.”
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