Blog

Taking the microphone, Prince Harry gestured towards the Nigerian royals ranged before him, playfully calling them his ‘in-laws’. 

It brought laughter from his audience. ‘I’ll skip the protocol because at this point we’re all family,’ the duke added, to more guffaws.

On reflection, though, maybe it wasn’t such a big joke after all.

The House of Windsor may have cut the Sussexes adrift but in Lagos last Sunday wealthy rulers bearing gifts and titles were effectively competing to claim Meghan for their own royal families.

But as the duke and duchess would do well to note, not everyone who came paying homage was all they seemed.

+3

Prince Harry shaking hands with conman Oba Abdulrasheed Adewale Akanbi in Lagos, Nigeria

The Mail on Sunday reveals today that one of the kings is a convicted fraudster who was twice kicked out of the United States.

The venue for what one guest described as Meghan’s ‘unofficial crowning’ was a flashy fifth floor restaurant in the coastal mega-city’s latest boutique hotel. Hardly the Throne Room at Buckingham Palace but there was a red carpet, fanfare trumpets –and no shortage of ceremony.

Monarchs journeyed from all corners of Africa’s most populous nation to honour the 42-year-old former Suits actress. In Nigeria different regions continue to have monarchies, now with ceremonial roles rather than constitutional powers, representing the groups that existed before colonisation.

From the oil-rich Niger Delta region, representing the Itsekiri people, came a dashing figure in red robes, Ogiame Atuwatse III, also known as the Olu of Warri kingdom. Married to a billionaire’s daughter, he drives a Bentley and, much respected, is one of the country’s richest kings.

Like 40-year-old Ogiame, another king – the Obi of Onitsha, Nnaemeka Achebe – had travelled far to meet the duke and duchess.

Known for his wisdom, benevolence and humility, the 83-year-old conferred on Meghan the chieftaincy title ‘Ada Mazi’ which means ‘the daughter of the Igbo ancestral palace’.

Maybe this was chancing it a bit. Meghan has revealed only that she is 43 per cent Nigerian. She hasn’t specified to which ethnic group she belongs, presumably because she doesn’t know.

When asked during an episode of her Archetypes podcast if she was Igbo or of the Yoruba people, she didn’t reply.

Not to be outdone, meanwhile, Oba Abdulrasheed Adewale Akanbi, the 56-year-old Oluwo of Iwoland in Western Nigeria, then took centre stage.

Microphone in hand, he turned to Meghan – who was walked down the aisle on her wedding day by King Charles – and said: ‘Thank God you are one of us.’

As the Sussexes stood before the seated guests, Akanbi made a show of presenting them a series of gifts including necklaces and bracelets and robes fashioned from handwoven fabric.

And staking his own people’s claim on the duchess, he bestowed on her the Yoruba name Adetokunbo meaning ‘royalty from across the seas’.

Flamboyant even for Nigerian royalty, Akanbi drives a canary yellow McLaren supercar and is known as the Funky King.

His wife Queen Firdaus has described him as playful and jovial and says she fell in love with him at first sight. As her husband joked with Harry, she chatted to Meghan and at one point the two women posed for a picture which Queen Firdaus later posted on her Instagram account.

While it is tempting to imagine Firdaus making a glamorous addition to Meghan’s inner circle, the Sussexes might wish to think twice before inviting the royal couple to their Californian mansion – not least because Akanbi is barred for life from entering the US.

Akanbi, who while born a prince hasn’t always lived in splendour, is a convicted conman whose own people have called for his dethronement.

+3

Akanbi, the 56-year-old Oluwo of Iwoland in Western Nigeria, is a convicted conman whose own people have called for his dethronement

Four years ago, a letter from a lawyer representing the Association of Iwoland Indigenes in Diaspora (AIID) accused him of ‘conducting himself in manners which are antithetical to that of a monarch in any clime and very unbecoming of a Yoruba Oba’.

It said he assaulted another monarch Dhikrulahi Akinropo of Ogbagba during a ‘peace meeting’ to settle a land dispute. But Akanbi said that Akinropo had interrupted his speech and tried to attack him with his golden staff of office.

‘He started calling me unprintable names, pointing his staff of office at me while attempting to stick the staff into my eyes,’ said Akanbi. ‘I heavily rejected it with a force he could not withstand.’

Much worse was to come from others, though, including his ex-wife Chanel Chin, the daughter of a Jamaican reggae star, who has called him a ‘devil’ and publicly accused him of sexual assault.

The letter from the AIID to a state governor accuses Akanbi of shamefully ‘misrepresenting the interests of Iwoland’ and causing so many ‘controversies’ that it is hard to ‘imagine he ascended the throne’. It says: ‘Our clients have several reported cases of intimidation, harassments and acts of subjecting the poor indigenes of Iwoland to all sort of threats.’

It adds that the king made false allegations against Ms Chin, claiming she was ‘sleeping around with all sort of palace men’ – which she denied in a TV interview.

In fact, adds the letter, ‘the unassailable evidence at the disposal of our clients was to the effect that…Akanbi has been the one defiling Iwoland with various shameless reports of defilements of young girls and ladies in the community’.

Court records in the US reveal an extensive criminal record. He once tried to cash a forged cheque for £247,000, an ‘aggravated

felony’ to which he pleaded guilty – and ultimately left him facing the prospect of 20 years in jail and a £197,000 fine.

While the Sussexes had no inkling they were being feted by a fraudster, Akanbi’s lengthy criminal record stretches over scores of legal documents. Akanbi, then using the name Segun Adewale Adeonigbagbe, was first arrested in Boston in 1998 after he walked into BankBoston posing as a Joseph Pigott and attempted to cash the stolen £247,000 cheque from aviation company Boeing.

+3

Meghan with Queen Firdaus, wife of fraudster Akanbi. The queen has described her husband as playful and jovial and says she fell in love with him at first sight

In a statement, Neil Hegarty of the Financial Organised Crime Task Force said he was alerted by a suspicious bank teller.

Agent Hegarty contacted the real Joseph Pigott, a successful businessman who said his mail had been stolen and that the thief had used his identity to apply for credit cards, write bogus cheques and attempt to cash real ones.The £247,000 cheque had been sent to Mr Pigott by Boeing, which immediately stopped it when the businessman rang to say he had not received it.

Surveillance footage was used to identify and arrest Akanbi, who was later charged with a second count of forging a cheque for £59,000 using the name Thomas Eyring.

These days, back in his homeland, Akanbi sits in lavish robes on a giant throne. Visitors to his palace are required to fall at his Gucci loafers. Once he boasted in an interview that a former Nigerian president ‘prostrated before me’.

In 1998, though, he claimed he was too broke to afford a lawyer. He pleaded guilty to both charges and wrote to the judge begging for leniency.

‘Please temper justice with mercy,’ he said. ‘I am not a career criminal, it was a situation beyond my control which I will never let it (sic) happen to me again. I am really sorry for doing it.’

He was jailed for 15 months in July 1998. His £1,500 fine was waived ‘because of an inability to pay’.

Deported to Nigeria in April 1999, he was banned from re-entering the US ‘without lawful authority of the government,’ specifically the Department of Homeland Security which is in charge of securing America’s borders.

While details of Akanbi’s past are murky, at some point he settled in Canada and married.

In March 2011 – just a few months before a young Meghan Markle moved to Canada and began filming Suits – he was caught attempting to cross the border into America with his wife and young son using a passport in the name of Prince Adeale Akanbi.

At first he told border agents they were heading to New York to go shopping but later changed his story saying they were going to a wedding. When the guards checked his fingerprints they ­discovered his prior criminal ­convictions and deportation.

Considered a flight risk, he was held in custody and later taken to New York where he faced a grand jury in April 2011 on one charge of ‘attempting to re-enter the United States after having been deported subsequent to a conviction for an aggravated felony’.

At this point, Akanbi was facing a maximum prison sentence of 20 years and a fine of £197,000.

He pleaded guilty and in a five-page statement before sentencing he again begged a judge for mercy, saying his ‘formative years spent in Africa were very difficult’.

He claimed his father whipped him on a weekly basis, he was

living on the streets by the age of 12 and, at 17, was sent to an institution ‘where he was chained, beaten and forced to learn Arabic’. Akanbi blamed his wife saying she had convinced him he could re-enter the US because more than a decade had passed since his deportation.

His then-wife Rakiya Saidu, who he married in 2009, wrote to the judge describing her husband as ‘a loving and caring person.’

Akanbi was sentenced to time served, deported and banned from the US for life for a second time – but it evidently didn’t stop him becoming king.

Neither has his promise to reign for more than six decades been blown off course by the various allegations against him.

If the Sussexes were seeking to expand their money-making ventures in oil-rich Nigeria, privately educated Ogiame Atuwatse, the Olu of Warri, would be a valuable contact – and a welcome addition to their social circle.

He earned a degree in international studies at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio, in 2006, followed by a masters in management.

In 2014 he married the daughter of late billionaire Hosa Wells Okunbo in Chelsea, London, with the bride wearing a stunning couture dress by Italian-Argentine designer Ines Di Santo, whose bespoke gowns start at £10,000.

Their reception was held at the Victoria and Albert museum, Kensington. Avid Anglophiles – Atuwatse worked for Shell in London – the couple attended King Charles’ first Commonwealth Day service at Westminster Abbey last year.

His reign has not been without incident, however.

A few days before his coronation, the Warri crown was stolen from his private chambers.

Two rival clan chiefs who opposed his ascension were later accused of the theft. Atuwatse, who has been lauded as a ‘fresh, young blood’ by Nigerian media and has promised to improve the rights of women in a country where girls are still married off as young as 12, laughed off the theft.

He ended up using a silver crown for his coronation and now wears one of gold, replacing the stolen original which was made of coral.

The Obi of Onitsha, meanwhile, one of the oldest reigning tribal rulers in Nigeria, might also prove a valuable social and business conduit for the Sussexes.

A distinguished career as head of the Shell in Nigeria was followed by a number of directorships on various boards.

He is chairman of chemical giant Unilever‘s board of directors in Nigeria and spent many years in London, where he enjoyed a spell as Shell’s ‘ambassador at large’ based in the UK.

The Sussexes, meanwhile, who fell in love with Nigeria, have promised to return at the earliest opportunity.

‘From now on they would do well to be take heed of the Igbo’s equivalent of the ‘once bitten twice shy’ saying,’ said a guest at last week’s function.

‘It is that one who has been bitten by a snake lives in fear of worms.’

Both Archewell and the Oluwo of Iwoland were approached for comment.

Meghan Markle and Prince Harry celebrated their wedding anniversary today, marking six years since they tied the knot at St George’s Chapel at Windsor Castle.

The picturesque early summer wedding was watched by an estimated 1.9billion people around the world and attended by A-listers such as Oprah Winfrey, David Beckham and George Clooney.

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex are celebrating a ‘sugar anniversary’ because of the traditional gift given for the occasion.

According to tradition, it’s meant to symbolise the sweet story of how the couple fell head over feels for each other, along with the richness of everlasting love.

But as their fondness for one another grows and develops, their highly-publicised rifts with the royal family continues to raise questions about their rocky relationship.

+4
View gallery

Meghan Markle and Prince Harry celebrated their wedding anniversary today, marking six years since they tied the knot at St George’s Chapel at Windsor Castle

+4
View gallery

Harry and Meghan have recently finished their ‘quasi- royal’ three-day tour to Nigeria from May 10 to 13

The pair announced that they were stepping down as working members of the royal family in 2020, before shortly moving across the pond to Montecito, California.

They moved there with their son Archie, who was born in London. They then welcomed a daughter in June 2021 called Lilibet Diana.

She was named after Harry’s mother Princess Diana and Queen Elizabeth, who was called Lilibet by those she was close to, such as her husband Prince Philip and sister, Princess Margaret.

Harry and Meghan have recently finished their ‘quasi- royal’ three-day tour to Nigeria from May 10 to 13, which saw them miss American Mother’s Day with their children to meet with charities and officials at the Lagos State Governor’s Office.

Meghan also spoke at an event on women in leadership in Abuja, where she said it was ‘flattering’ to discover via a genealogy test that she is 43 per cent Nigerian.

Before their trip to the African country, Harry was in the UK for an Invictus Games event in London, but didn’t pop in to see his father  – who is currently undergoing treatment for cancer – during his flying visit.

His event was also just three miles away from where King Charles was at Clarence House.

+4
View gallery

As Harry and Meghan’s love for each other grows, their highly-publicised rifts with the royal family continues to raise questions about their rocky relationship. Above: The former ‘fab four’ in September 2022

Royal commentator Richard Fitzwilliams told Metro: ‘It’s sad, things have gone very badly wrong with Harry not seeing his father.

‘It seems to me that relations between the Sussexes and Buckingham Palace couldn’t get much worse.’

Harry had hoped to meet him during his trip, which follows a previous quick visit in February after Charles’s cancer diagnosis.

But Harry’s spokesman said at the time: ‘In response to the many inquiries and continued speculation on whether or not The Duke will meet with his father while in the UK this week, it unfortunately will not be possible due to His Majesty’s full programme.

‘The Duke of course is understanding of his father’s diary of commitments and various other priorities and hopes to see him soon.’

Harry and Meghan have made several claims about the Firm throughout the years. One month before Lilibet was born, the Sussexes sat down with chat show host Oprah – who was a guest at their wedding – to discuss ‘Megxit’.

+4
View gallery

In Spare, Harry alleged that the Princess of Wales made Meghan cry in the run-up to her wedding during a row over Princess Charlotte’s flower girl dress. Above: The pair pictured after the wedding in 2018

Dubbed one of the most explosive interviews of the 2021, Harry and Meghan made several shocking claims about members of the royal family.

Their Netflix docuseries then came out the following December, where Harry said  Meghan ‘sacrificed everything she ever knew, the freedom that she had, to join me in my world’.

He then added: ‘I ended up sacrificing everything that I know to join her in her world’, a reference to him moving abroad with his wife to her home country.

Since then, the couple have made several lucrative deals with big companies such as Spotify and Harry released his book Spare in 2023.

The Duke made several claims in the book and alleged that there was a fight between him and the Prince of Wales after he called Meghan Markle ‘difficult’, ‘rude’ and ‘abrasive’.

He also branded Queen Camilla – his step-mother- ‘dangerous’ and alleged that the Princess of Wales made Meghan cry in the run-up to her wedding during a row over Princess Charlotte’s flower girl dress.

Since their departure from the royal family, Meghan and Harry have taken on a slew of social activism and philanthropic roles.

Harry and Meghan are set to launch two new Netflix shows on cooking, gardening and polo as part of their ongoing $100 million deal with the streaming site.

They have two non-fiction projects in the works, which come off the back of the launch of her new lifestyle brand, American Riviera Orchard.

The Duchess will focus on lifestyle-centric topics like gardening and cooking in a move that will likely allow her to cross-promote her brand and the first series will see her ‘celebrate the joys of cooking, gardening, entertaining, and friendship’.

Meghan’s project has seen the Duchess create an exclusive ‘jamfluencer’ club, with only 50 of her friends being sent jars.

Stars such as Chrissy Teigen, Heather Dorak, Tracy Robbins and Kris Jenner have been sent jars of the highly-sought after jam.

Buckingham Palace appeared to take a swipe at Meghan’s latest business venture by posting an advert for its strawberry preserve days after the Duchess unveiled her product.

According to a recent survey, Meghan Markle’s popularity in the UK is on the decline – but she’s likely to take the news with a ‘pinch of salt’, claims an expert.

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex have been named the fourth most disliked celebrities of 2024 in a new Ranker poll released at the start of the week. Ranker compiles surveys based on public opinion, reports the Mirror.

The Sussexes – who are facing fresh reports they were welcomed to Nigeria last week by a fugitive who allegedly orchestrated a $20million money laundering and bank fraud scheme – join James Corden and Amber Heard on the ‘most hated celebrities’ list.

However, according to Press Box PR spokesperson, Lynn Carratt, Meghan, 42, is likely to be unworried by the low ranking as she would rather focus on success in her native US.

She told the publication: ‘I believe Meghan will take the survey data with a pinch of salt. I’m not sure how interested she is anymore in getting the British public back on her side.

+4

According to a recent survey Meghan Markle’s popularity in the UK is on the decline – but she’s likely to take the news with a ‘pinch of salt’, claims an expert  (Meghan pictured at the Lights Academy in Abuja, Nigeria, earlier this month)

‘She is American and that is were her family life is now, so she will be more concerned in raising her popularity in her own country and focusing on building her brand American Rivera Orchard and making it a huge success’.

According to the publication, out of 31,400 Brits a whopping 65 per cent disliked the Duchess, while 45 per cent expressed negative views about her.

Conversely Meghan attracted only 4 per cent of positive votes.It appears the expert is suggesting Meghan would rather pour her efforts into growing her lifestyle cooking brand American Riviera Orchard, which is likely to keep her in good favour across the pond.

The mother-of-two launched the luxury lifestyle brand – which has so far produced a special strawberry jam – with a glitzy Instagram video back in March.

The Duchess’s project is said to have been in the works for more than a year – and will feature ‘all the things that are close to her heart’.

The flash company is set to coincide with the launch of a new cookery show featuring Meghan on Netflix – where she will be making and selling her own products. It will lead onto a book and blog to go alongside her cookery displays.

It is ununderstood that a trademark application has been made covering cutlery – knives forks spoons – cookbooks and electronic cookbooks, coffee, jams jellies and butters.

It also extends to a physical shop from which tableware, mugs, jams, tablecloths and recipe books could be sold.

+4

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex have been named the fourth most-disliked celebrities of 2024 in a new Ranker poll (pictured: the couple visit the Armed Forces Complex in Abuja, Nigeria on May 11)

+4

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are likely to brush off the news after being branded the most annoying celebs in 2022 (the couple are pictured in Netflix Documentary Meghan & Harry, Episode 4)

In the video, Meghan is seen whisking in a stunning rustic kitchen, while a woman’s hands are seen arranging pink and white flowers.

The Duchess launched the first product from the new business a month later, sending influencers and friends a jar of strawberry jam.

Fashion designer Tracy Robbins and Argentine socialite Delfina Balquier are among those who have posted an image of the product on their Instagram Stories.

Mrs Robbins and her husband Paramount boss Brian Robbins are friends with the Sussexes and invited them to the Bob Marley film premiere in Jamaica in January.

The couple are also friends with Ms Balquier, who is married to Prince Harry’s friend Nacho Figueras – with the four together at a charity polo match in Florida in April.

Meghan Markle and Prince Harry are likely to brush off news that they’re disliked as they did back in 2022 when they topped the list of most annoying celebrities.

Two years ago the couple were branded celebrities people were most likely to get sick of – just weeks after the release of their splashy, multimillion-dollar Netflix special that criticized the royal family.

+4

Heather Dorak received a jar of jam from the Duchess’s lifestyle brand American Rivera Orchard in April this year)

The couple – whose high-profile split from the royal family dominated headlines in 2020 – each snagged a spot on Ranker’s ‘Celebrities You’re Sick of in 2022′, with the Duchess of Sussex leading the list of figures readers had reportedly grown weary of.

The dubious distinctions for the duo is markedly more pronounced than where they placed earlier in the year, when Meghan was booked as low as the 20th spot, while her husband, faring slightly better, was pegged at no. 23.

Names to round out the top top ten included Oprah Winfrey – whose interview of the couple in 2021 saw Meghan claim royals had ‘concern’ over her sons’ skin color – as well as Amber Heard, James Corden, Kim Kardashian and several other polarizing personalities.

That said, in a list that, unlike the Sussexes, also included stars who saw their reputations come into question this year – such as Kanye West and Ellen DeGeneres – the Sussex squad was still featured the most prominently.

the Ranker article indicated that Meghan – an actress who starred on USA’s Suits – received a total of 24,201 votes out of the more than 416,000 votes cast. Voting is tabulated in real time.

Harry, on the other hand, received an almost stark 21,492 votes – both serving as more than five percent of the nearly half a million votes received.

The former Spice Girls star opened up about her mom life in a new interview with ‘The Sunday Times’

By Esme Mazzeo
Published on April 21, 2024 04:31PM EDT

Victoria Beckham with her daughter Harper. PHOTO: VICTORIA BECKHAM/INSTAGRAM

When David Beckham is away, Victoria Beckham and her daughter play!

In a new interview with The Sunday Times, published on April 21, the fashion designer and former Spice Girls star, 50, described her hands-on parenting style, which includes mother-daughter girls’ nights now that her daughter, Harper, 12, is her only child still living at home.

The article referenced a trip that Victoria and Harper took to a supermarket chain in England called Waitrose to pick up a specific snack that the preteen wanted for school.

Tom Cruise! Spice Girls! See All of the Stars Who Attended Victoria Beckham’s 50th Birthday Bash

Victoria Beckham attends the Premiere of ‘Lola’.AXELLE/BAUER-GRIFFIN/FILMMAGIC

“I’ve never not done those things, neither has David. They are important,” the mom of four said of everyday parenting chores that also serve as bonding moments.

But when her former soccer player husband is away, Victoria and her daughter make sure to have glam nights.

“We do them when David is away,” she said, before revealing, “Tonight it’s fake tan.”

The singer recently celebrated her 50th birthday at a star-studded party at Oswald’s, a private members-only club in London, on Saturday, April 19. Guests included Tom Cruise, Marc Anthony, Eva Longoria, Gordon Ramsay, Jason Statham and Rosie Huntington-Whiteley.

All About David and Victoria Beckham’s Daughter Harper Seven Beckham

Victoria’s entire family, including Harper’s brothers Brooklyn, 25, Romeo, 21, and Cruz, 19, dressed to the nines to celebrate the Beckham matriarch.

Victoria wore a sheer mint green dress to her soirée, while Harper looked all grown up in a chic champagne gown and the men chose dapper tuxedos.

(L-R) Mia Regan, Romeo Beckham, Cruz Beckham, Harper Beckham, David Beckham, Victoria Beckham, Brooklyn Beckham and Nicola Peltz attend the Netflix ‘Beckham’ UK Premiere.KARWAI TANG/WIREIMAGE

Former Spice Girls Geri Halliwell-Turner, Emma Bunton, Melanie “Mel C” Chisholm, Melanie “Mel B” Brown also celebrated their friend — and even returned to their roots with Victoria onstage by performing their 1997 single “Stop” during the party.

Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE’s free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer​​, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories. 

In her interview with The Sunday Times, Victoria reflected on getting older. “The thing with aging is that it is what it is. I always remember Marc Jacobs saying to me when he turned 60 that it was better than the alternative of not turning 60,” she told the outlet.

“But generally I feel good about things,” she added. “I have better opportunities now than I did when I was younger.”

This was the headline, four months before Meghan married Harry: ‘Why I’m proud to be a Meghanomaniac…we need some Markle sparkle!’

Let’s quote the piece: ‘The first I knew I was smitten was when Meghan used the term ‘my rescue pups’ on national, prime-time TV to describe her beloved dogs Guy and Bogart … Meghan Markle, my goodness, even her initials are delicious: MMMMMM!’

The write-up, in YOU Magazine, goes on, about Harry: ‘My, has he gone up in our estimation! He has swollen in stature, eclipsed even his brother!, to become one half of a super couple we hope will eclipse even George and Amal. He has chosen a woman who has read every single tome ever written by Toni Morrison. Now, that’s class.’

I wrote that piece. And this one, on their wedding day – May 19, 2018 – in the Mail: ‘”You look amazing.” So mouthed Harry as he looked up to drink in his bride. He was echoing what every woman in the land was yelling at the screen as Meghan emerged from her Rolls-Royce. The dress is simple: who needs embellishment when you have that face?’

Prince Harry tells Meghan ‘you look amazing’ as she walks down aisle

+9

Meghan Markle arrives for her wedding to Prince Harry at St George’s Chapel, Windsor, May 19, 2018

+9

‘You look amazing’ mouthed Harry as he looked up to drink in his bride. Above: Meghan and Harry in St George’s Chapel on their wedding day

I had cooled a little, as one does in any marriage, by 2019. It was Bananagate, when Meghan, still a working Royal, visited sex workers in Bristol, scrawling positive mantras on fruit. ‘Was she signing her autograph?’ I wrote. ‘Would she get ink on the £1,500 Oscar de la Renta? No, Meghan. These women are not “loved”, they are not “special”. I’d have more admiration if, when she’s finished doing up that “cottage” in Windsor … she were to open its doors as a refuge instead. That would show these women they are loved. That would prove they’re special.’ Ouch!

Meghan and Harry celebrate their sixth wedding anniversary today, and boy how times and public opinion have changed! Words amongst the millions published jump off the page: ‘I’m not okay’, ‘Silent or Silenced?’, ‘Dog bowl’, ‘Near catastrophic car chase’, ‘We are not a racist family.’ And on and on. Note these are merely utterances from the royal family themselves, apart from America’s honorary queen, Oprah, who formed a perfect O of surprise as Meghan accused the Royal family of speculating over Archie’s skin colour.

I’ve had a ringside seat, watching how opinion of the couple in the press (and overwhelmingly on social media) has plummeted. I have written many, many pieces, trying to support her, swimming against a tide that resembles the now-polluted sea in Devon. One of my most recent expressed my real concern that the comments on X could provoke self harm or even suicide. How any human, if they read merely a scattering of the online abuse of Meghan, could survive such attacks is beyond me. The comments are unrepeatable, but the most anodyne include highlighting, with arrows, the difference in the colour of Meghan’s face compared to her scalp.

Of course, Meghan can be tone deaf: on the recent non-Royal visit to Nigeria she sported a Cartier watch, and backless and almost frontless dresses. She appeared to turn away from a woman mid-conversation. Rude!

+9

The crowds plus the sunshine made the happy couple  glow as they greeted the crowds

+9

The crowds turned up in their thousands to witness this glorious day. Above: Meghan arriving for the ceremony

And Harry? Well, he never quite morphed into George Clooney, a sort of roaming elder statesman with added testosterone (Harry still has his fans online; one post had a video of him lifting off, in full combat gear, in his Apache helicopter to fight, you know, the actual Taliban, alongside last week’s footage of William, in suit and tie, stood NEXT to a helicopter, receiving yet another gift – colonel-in-chief of the Army Air Corps – from his dear old dad). William did then of course get in the aircraft and fly it away, although that’s a small detail for Harry’s fans.

But today, whose team am I on? The past six years have been a rollercoaster, a series of disappointments, glimmers of hope. But I have to reveal (and I know I will now get a barrage of abuse; after my piece begging people to stop bullying Meghan, there were a flurry of posts on X, saying I have ‘no moral compass’ and ‘am a former bankrupt’) that the sight of Harry at St Paul’s, attending the service to celebrate 10 years of the Invictus Games, made me side with him, despite the fact he has often allowed himself to resemble a cash cow being pulled along roughly by a ring through his nose.

+9

The sight of Harry at St Paul’s, attending the service to celebrate 10 years of the Invictus Games, made me side with him

+9

Harry smiled and blew kisses to his ‘loyal’ blood family, the Spencers. Above: Harry embracing his uncle Earl Spencer in St Paul’s

+9

Meghan can be tone deaf: on the recent non-Royal visit to Nigeria she sported a Cartier watch, and backless and almost frontless dresses

+9

At the same time as Prince Harry’s service, King Charles held a Garden Party at Buckingham Palace

Harry cut an elegant figure as he mounted the steps in a perfectly fitted suit. He smiled and blew kisses to his loyal ‘blood family’, the Spencers. What a happy, handsome, dashing lot they are, a family, not a Firm. While at the same time, down the road, King Charles hosted yet another dreary Garden Party (along with the Duke of Edinburgh and the Duchess of Gloucester) to which we, the lowly subjects who can’t afford a hat, were not invited.

No wonder Meghan merely touched down, dragonfly fashion, at Heathrow en route to Africa.

The Royal Family, sans Catherine, has never looked so old, tired and, yes, frankly boring, despite Camilla doing her stoic, uncomplaining best. I’m reminded, not in a good way, of the quote from Bridget Jones’s Diary, uttered by purple-faced Julian: ‘The earrings measuring just over a centimetre, in a lovely mock gold. The exact replica of those worn at Wimbledon in 1993 by Her Royal Highness, the Duchess of Kent.’

These satellite royals are, literally, a punch line.

Enlisting Beatrice to inject some glamour and youth will not help. We’re not interested! Charles and William, be the bigger men. Give Harry and Meghan the best anniversary gift they could imagine. Welcome the Firm’s biggest assets back into the fold.

Kate Middleton’s dark and lonely childhood revealed by former pals of the beloved royal

She is one of the most adored women in the world but childhood friends of Kate Middleton reveal she endured horrors as a teenager.

She is one of the most adored women in the world — graceful, charitable and glamorous, gracing newspapers and magazines around the globe on an almost daily basis.

But before she was the Duchess of Cambridge, Kate Middleton endured a dark, torturous and lonely childhood, her former friends have said.

It was an experience that has guided her community efforts since marrying Prince William, the Duke of Cambridge, including anti-bullying and mental health organisations.

When she was just 13 years old, Kate’s parents Michael and Carole Middleton abruptly pulled her out of the all-girls boarding school Downe House she attended at a cost of £28,875 (AU$52,000) because she was being mercilessly bullied.

After years of nastiness, classmate Jessica Hay said in an interview with The Sun newspaper she had been left an “emotional wreck” and developed the skin condition eczema due to stress.

Despite it being much further from her family home, Kate enrolled at Marlborough College in Wiltshire. A classmate at her new prestigious school, Gemma Williamson, told the Daily Mail that Kate “had very little confidence”.

“Apparently she had been bullied very badly and she certainly looked thin and pale,” Ms Williamson said.

Kate Middleton was a shy and traumatised teenager before moving schools after being horribly bullied. Picture: AP
Her tutor there, Joan Gall, also recalled that when she first arrived, the reserved teenager was a shell of a girl — a far cry from her confident and poised self now.

“When she arrived she was very quiet. Coming into a big school like Marlborough was difficult, but she settled in quickly,” Ms Gall said.

“It was like a big, happy family. We would do things like bake cakes and watch videos.”

Kate, the Duchess of Cambridge, is one of the most adored women in the world, but in her early teens she was the victim of merciless bullies and was forced to change schools. Picture: Getty
Part of the reason for Kate’s tough time is said to have been the Middleton’s ‘new money’ — they went from middle-class to multi-millionaires when their party supply business boomed.

In class-obsessed British society, it mattered greatly to her posh peers.

Ms Hay said an element of jealousy was also at play, describing a young Kate as “perfect, well-turned out and lovely”, which saw her a target of envious bullies.

Kate Middleton and Prince William on the day of their graduation ceremony at St Andrew’s University in Scotland in 2005. Picture: Supplied
A teacher at the school, Ann Patching, told the Mail: “She didn’t make a big deal about (being bullied). I can’t remember if it was her or Carole who mentioned Downe House. It was a concern, but they were determined to move on.”

And so she threw herself into life at her new school, taking up a variety of activities, including field hockey and tennis, and embracing music.

She went on to become a prefect and head of house and was regarded as a model student more than a party animal. She was voted by her peers as “most likely to be loved by all”.

When the Duchess and Duke married in April 2011, they asked guests to make a donation to the charity Beatbullying in lieu of lavish presents.

It was a nod to her dark experiences as a young victim.

Prince William and his wife Kate, the Duchess of Cambridge, asked wedding guests to donate to an anti-bullying charity in lieu of gifts. Picture: AFP
Since then, she and her husband, as well as brother-in-law Prince Harry, have acted as ambassadors and spokespeople for a variety of mental health-focused charities and formed the Heads Together awareness campaign.

The trio have also spoken candidly about their own experiences with depression, including the brothers’ difficulties after the sudden death of their mother Princess Diana.

In January this year, the Duchess visited a London school to take part in a lesson about children’s mental health and wellbeing.

“I see time and time again that there is so much to be gained from talking of mental health and taking the mental health of our children as seriously as we do their physical health,” she said in a moving speech.

Kate and William, the Duchess and Duke of Cambridge, now want to send their children to Marlborough, according to media reports.
“We know that mental health is an issue for us all — children and parents, young and old, men and women — of all backgrounds and of all circumstances.

“What we have seen first-hand is that the simple act of having a conversation about mental health — that initial breaking of the silence — can make a real difference.

“But, as you here today know: starting a conversation is just that — it’s a start.”

It was reported in British press this week that the Duke and Duchess are considering sending their eldest son George to her former school, Marlborough, over the recent royal tradition of Eton College.

Meghan Markle is known for her chic style, which has evolved significantly since she and Prince Harry stepped down as working royals and moved to California to start a new life together.

But as she and the Duke of Sussex carry out ‘quasi-royal’ duties including their tour of Nigeria and events marking the Invictus Games, a new trend appears to be emerging in Meghan’s outfits as she dons trousers, skirts and dresses that appear altogether too long for her.

Instead of tailoring her maxi outfits so they perfectly match her 5ft 6in frame, the Duchess often wears clothes that no doubt add to her chic style, but also drag along the floor as she walks.

It might seem an odd miss in the otherwise incredibly stylish Duchess’s repertoire – but a celebrity style expert has suggested Meghan’s perceived oversight may actually be a very deliberate decision on her part in order to create a particular illusion.

+8

Meghan Markle wears a long ruffled dress as she visits Lightway Academy last week in Abuja, Nigeria

+8

In Lagos, Meghan donned a Carolina Herrera Silk Overlay Column Gown in ‘taxi cab’ yellow

+8

It seems Meghan has always been a fan of long floaty dresses as she donned this striped garment when she visited Sydney in 2018

+8

Celebrity stylist Rochelle thinks Meghan wears longer outfits that cover her feet to look taller than she is. Above: Meghan in September 2022, Germany

During Meghan and Harry’s ‘quasi-royal’ tour of Nigeria, the Duchess showcased several examples of very long clothing.

One such outfit came in the city of Abuja, where she opted for an aptly-named Windsor dress in blush silk, which retails for £1,106.

Its California-based designer, Heidi Merrick (one of the Duchess’s favourites) actually offers a slightly altered version of the frock for petite customers via its tailoring service.

However as Meghan danced the afternoon away at the Wuse Lightway Academy, she appeared not to have opted for the tailored version of the frock and instead donned a version which skimmed the floor as she bopped to Jump Up, Turn Around.

Similarly in Lagos, the former senior working royal chose to wear a Carolina Herrera Silk Overlay Column gown in ‘taxi cab’ yellow.

Meghan was all smiles as she soaked up the sun in the 30-degree weather and visited the Lagos State Governor’s Office.

And yet again, she wore a lengthy vibrant and flamboyant ensemble that dragged along the grass lawn.

Celebrity stylist Rochelle White told Femail that the Duchess likely wears long clothing that covers her feet because it gives the illusion of height.

She said: ‘Long dresses and trousers, depending on body type, can help to elongate the body and shape.

‘They can make you look taller and depending on the styles can help to define areas of the body you either want to highlight or cover up.’

When the royal couple spent a week in Frankfurt last summer to attend the Invictus Games, Meghan wore an all-brown ensemble on a day that saw them both watching events and attending a NATO meeting.

This was made up of a chocolate-coloured blouse and creased taupe trousers that trailed along the floor.

She stood next to Prince Harry – who is a whopping 6ft 2inches in height – and although she barely came up to his shoulder, Rochelle says she appears taller because of her outfit choice.

+8

Meghan Markle is pictured in a long ballgown at the Variety Power of Women Los Angeles

+8

Dating back to 2019, Meghan wore long black trousers that trailed along the floor in Edinburgh

+8

Meghan Markle sported a pair of creased brown trousers during her trip to Germany last September with Harry

+8

The Duchess has worn long ensembles throughout the years including on her trip to Morocco in 2019

She said: ‘Looking at Meghan, I feel that these styles make her look taller and highlight her silhouette. I feel it makes her look taller.

‘I feel that she knows her body and the things or items that work for her best and is tapping into that with her looks.’

In 2018, during Meghan’s trip to Edinburgh with Harry, she proudly donned a pair of lengthy, flared black trousers which were too long for her despite wearing a pair of heels.

As the Duchess was busy greeting people who braved the unpredictable Scottish weather to see the former royals, the slacks were pulled along the wet concrete, gathering dirt on the bottom of them.

In 2018 during her visit to Sydney, the mother-of-two was pictured walking along the sand in a black and white striped maxi dress and the following year during her visit to Morocco with Harry, Meghan donned a large cobalt patterned frock.

It’s no secret that her wardrobe is different from Kate’s, with Rochelle noting that the Princess of Wales opts for more traditional pieces of clothing.

She said: ‘Meghan has more of trendy edge when it comes to her style. Kate is very classic and chic in her fits and style with traditional pieces thrown in.

‘With Meghan, I feel she is very much herself and has elements that really showcase her personality and personal style.

‘With off the shoulder tops, shorts, co-ords and racer back tops, she doesn’t hide what she likes and what works for her.’

While Kate tends to wear more fitted dresses and tailored trousers, Meghan’s style is dubbed more relaxed and personal.

The question was innocuous and well-meant – but it drew an instinctively defensive response from Harry and Meghan’s top aide.

‘Hope everything goes well today,’ remarked a journalist casually.

‘What do you mean? What could go wrong?’ shot back the usually charming Miranda Barbot, seemingly affronted that anyone might suggest the event could be anything other than a roaring success.

Being on the road with the California-based Sussexes, you see, is all about positive vibes.

It was Saturday, midway through the duke and duchess’s tour of Nigeria, and we were waiting for the couple to arrive at an outdoor sports complex in Abuja for a volleyball match. Above, grey skies threatened.

+17
View gallery

Meghan and Prince Harry attend a Sit Out at the Nigerian Defence Headquarters in Abuja on May 11

+17
View gallery

Prince Harry and Meghan visit army wives at the Defence headquarters in Abuja, Nigeria on May 10

+17
View gallery

Meghan Markle speaks with a woman during the Giant of Africa Foundation at the Dream Big Basketball clinic in Lagos, Nigeria

‘Ah yes, rain,’ Miranda said, following our gaze upwards and realising what the journalist had meant.

She was right, though. Barring the heavens opening, the whip-smart PR guru, who helped get Barack Obama re-elected, really did have everything covered.

Whatever the true complexion of this fascinating tour – private, non-royal, quasi-royal, presidential – one thing was certain. It was controlled skilfully and with an iron hand.

Now back home in Montecito, Harry and Meghan will doubtless reflect on a job well done.

Yet it was success achieved without truly capturing the hearts of all Nigerians, many of whom were little interested in this faux-royal trip.

Others complained that access to the Sussexes was far beyond ordinary citizens. ‘It’s just for the dignitaries, the well-connected,’ came the familiar complaint.

The visit failed to excite much interest from the Nigerian media either, particularly the newspapers, which devoted notably few column inches to the couple.

+17
View gallery

The Duchess of Sussex eacts while delivering a speech at the Lightway Academy on May 10

+17
View gallery

Meghan attends an exhibition sitting volleyball match at Nigeria Unconquered

+17
View gallery

Prince Harry and Meghan holding hands upon their arrival at the government house in Lagos Nigeria on May 12

Official royal tours typically feature set-pieces drawing large crowds. On this trip there were no opportunities for the public to see Harry and Meghan close at hand.

Each event was effectively held behind closed doors, with the majority accessible only to hand-picked journalists, those guaranteed to deliver fawning coverage.

In theory, the programme of events was framed around the Invictus Games, Harry’s initiative for wounded, sick and injured service personnel and veterans, which recruited Nigeria to the fold last year.

Certainly, we witnessed an upbeat Duke of Sussex on familiar turf – dispensing encouragement to wounded soldiers, engaging with children, hobnobbing with military types.

In open, affable Harry, it is easy to recognise his mother, Diana, who visited Nigeria 34 years ago and was pictured holding the hand of a leprosy patient.

Yet, for all that he gave his own bravura performance this week, Harry will find it hard to escape the feeling that he was – deliberately or otherwise – bundled out of the limelight by his wife.

It was never Meghan’s destiny to be former soldier Harry’s adjutant – she made that clear from the outset of their relationship. And, through a series of strategically well-judged moves, she made this trip her own. Locals quickly dubbed it the Meghan Show.

+17
View gallery

Meghan co-hosts an event of Women in Leadership with Dr Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, Director General of the World Trade Organization in Abuja, Nigeria

+17
View gallery

BabaJide Sanwo-Olu, the Lagos state governor welcomes Meghan Markle at the government house in Lagos, Nigeria

By the end, the duchess had emerged seeming less the ex-TV actress wife of a former royal – and more a sure-footed global stateswoman in her own right.

Perhaps it’s not such a wild leap. When Ms Barbot was hired by the Sussexes two years ago with the brief to transform their image, it was suggested by one insider that ‘it wouldn’t be a huge shock if Meghan went into politics’.

There has, of course, long been speculation that the duchess would one day like a tilt at the White House itself. If that is indeed her intention, the trip will have done her no harm at all – and might even prove a masterstroke.

The invitation to visit Nigeria – specifically to meet wounded soldiers – was originally extended to Harry by the country’s defence chief during last year’s Invictus Games. So neatly has this visit dovetailed with Meghan’s agenda, though, some might be forgiven for wondering if the trip was at least partly her plan all along.

For a start, Meghan already had a significant fanbase in Nigeria thanks to the popularity of the TV drama Suits, in which she played paralegal Rachel Zane. Her following had been established long before she met Harry.

As a senior diplomat told the Daily Mail: ‘In the House of Windsor divide, most Nigerians – if interested – side with Meghan and Harry. This is because they loved Diana and see the Sussexes as outsiders like her. And of the two, they like Meghan more because of Suits, which was huge here, much more so than in the UK.’

Then there’s Meghan’s recent discovery through a DNA test that she is 43 per cent Nigerian. When she first dropped this genealogical bombshell – in an episode of her Archetypes podcast – it gained little traction. What better way, then, to spread the word than through a carefully planned visit to the ancestral homeland of her forebears?

+17
View gallery

Prince Harry and wife Meghan at a lunch with Minister of Defence in Abuja Nigeria

+17
View gallery

Meghan takes a selfie with a woman during an exhibition volleyball match in Nigeria

+17
View gallery

The volleyball match was part of celebrations for the Invictus Games anniversary in Abuja, Nigeria

From the moment the couple stepped off the plane, Meghan appeared to miss no opportunity to emphasise that Nigeria is ‘my home’.

On the first day, Friday, she told an audience of schoolgirls that ‘I see myself in all of you’ while thanking the nation for ‘welcoming me home’ later that same day.Meghan suggested, too, that she would use the trip to explore her heritage, although how far she got with that was never explained. Perhaps, as some suspect, all will be revealed in a forthcoming Netflix documentary.

This interest in her heritage will surely resonate with fellow Americans. It has been well received in Nigeria on the whole and, one suspects, elsewhere in Africa.

Adeola Adenikinju, the president of Nigerian Economic Society – a respected forum for economists and social scientists – said: ‘I am proud that she has a Nigerian blood flowing through her body.

‘Meghan has been quite strong. She is not ashamed of her colour and her people. I think she would fit as a good role model for the younger generation.’

There are, however, some dissenting voices. ‘I see it [her 43 per cent Nigerian claim] as a political statement but if she is serious about it, then she will need to take further steps to prove to the general public that she is of Nigerian descent,’ said Dr Gever Verlumun Celestine, a lecturer in mass communications at the University of Nsukka.

Of the couple’s decision to visit, Dr Celestine added: ‘They have everything they need to make their lives comfortable so I feel that they can hardly relate with the challenges Nigerians face.’

Such criticisms aside, never were Meghan’s credentials as a stateswoman more evident than at a panel discussion on Saturday, the second day of the visit. To some at least, she sounded quite simply like a politician.

In front of her were 50 of Nigeria’s top female leaders from politics, the media and business – and they lapped up every word.

+17
View gallery

Meghan Markle gestures as she and Prince Harry visit children at the Lights Academy in Abuja, Nigeria on May 10

She spoke of the motherhood-career balance and highlighted the importance of women’s leadership and empowerment ‘in driving positive change globally’.

And yet again there was talk of her Nigerian roots.

An oil company communications manager, Chinaza Unwakwe, a fan of the British royals, said: ‘I think the Nigerian heritage talking point was a good communication opportunity utilised well. Meghan has a bigger personality than Harry so it’s only natural for her to steal the show.

‘Harry tends to take a laidback approach when it comes to their dual appearances. Classic British guy. I think of it this way: She chose the limelight – he didn’t.’

‘I’m an avid follower of the Royal Family,’ he continued, ‘but I wasn’t keen on this trip. I am not interested because my country’s situation is bad.

‘We have more pressing issues – rocketing inflation and security –and I do not see how a visit by Harry and Meghan will help us.’

But as the couple relax, reunited with their children in their Montecito mansion, others are watching to see what exactly the Sussexes – and more particularly Meghan herself – are planning next.

Meghan Markle ‘shuddering’ over fear ex bff will air ‘decades-long’ friendship

Meghan Markle has reportedly been worrying about her career going into ruins

Meghan Markle has been fortunate to not have her bff air their decades long friendship

Meghan Markle has reportedly been on edge over fears that her former best friend Jessica Mulroney would go on to spill secrets of the former actress.

Speaking to Closer magazine, sources claimed that Meghan was worried that a fallout between the two would result in Jessica releasing her own version of a tell-all, which the Duchess of Sussex and Prince Harry have been able to avoid in their questionable careers so far.

A source explained: “Jessica is not openly indicating that she’s ready to share details about Meghan, but the possibility is always there, and it’s a major concern for Meghan.”

According to the source, Jessica’s latest Instagram post where she shared her two cents on friendship and loyalty was what caused Meghan to worry.

In that post she wrote: “As loving as I am, my detachment game is strong too.”

Speaking about Meghan’s reaction to the post the source said: “She’s relieved she hasn’t had to deal with this yet but when Instagram posts like this surface it makes her shudder.”

“The feeling is that she and Harry have both been very fortunate until now, they haven’t had a tell-all to contend with – at least not from within their close circle of friends and former friends.”

Meghan Markle channeled the fashion prowess of Princess Diana as she recreated her late mother-in-law’s iconic blazer ensemble upon her return to Los Angeles. 

The Duchess of Sussex, 42, and Prince Harry, 39, arrived back in the US on Monday after an 18-hour flight home from their three-day trip to Nigeria.

Mother-of-two Meghan sported a sophisticated, 90s-inspired outfit as she landed at Los Angeles International Airport, typing quickly on her phone as she walked.

The actress-turned-royal donned a khaki linen and wool mix blazer from Loro Piana, called the Jamilla, which retails for around £2,900.

Underneath her jacket, the Duchess wore a cashmere and silk mix sweater – the Takao Jumper – also from Loro Piana, which costs £990.

+5
View gallery

Meghan sported a sophisticated, 90s inspired outfit as she landed at Los Angeles International Airport yesterday – similar to one Princess Diana wore

+5
View gallery

In the autumn of 1994, the late Princess of Wales was snapped shopping in Knightsbridge sporting a very similar ensemble

Meghan co-ordinated the ensemble with a pair of £815 Chris canvas and leather slippers from Yves Saint Laurent in the gold brown colour way.

She then tied it the ensemble together with pair of fitted, cropped white jeans – a style she has favoured multiple times in the past.

But eagle-eyed royal fans may notice how similar the outfit is to one famously worn by Princess Diana while out shopping in London.

In the autumn of 1994, the late Princess of Wales was snapped shopping in Knightsbridge sporting a chic blazer and white trousers.

She opted to wear a pair of oversized sunglasses, a cream turtleneck with a jade green blazer and an ivory and brown back elegantly slung over her shoulder.

She paired this with a brown belt and some white skinny jeans, along with shoes that look almost identical to the flats worn by Meghan.

This isn’t the first time the Duchess has channeled her mother-in-law. During the tour in Nigeria, Meghan looked to her for inspiration when choosing her accessories.

Meghan sported chunky gold earrings from Lanvin, her AURate collar necklace and an array of dazzling bracelets, as well as her wedding rings.

+5
View gallery

Meghan Markle has seemingly paid a subtle tribute to her late mother-in-law Princess Diana as she joined Prince Harry on a ‘three-day royal tour’ in Nigeria

+5
View gallery

The jewels resembled those worn by Diana when she visited the country in 1990 with her then-husband Charles, just two years before they separated

The jewels resembled those worn by Diana when she visited Nigeria herself with her then-husband Charles, just two years before they separated.

Meghan added a bit more glamour by wearing Diana’s gold Cartier Tank Française watch.

The gold £17,800 watch was worn by Diana at a number of occasions, including a 1997 visit to London’s Shri Swaminarayan Mandir Hindu Temple and an engagement at the British Lung Foundation that same year.

Meghan is known to be a fan of the elegant timepiece and splurged on her own two-tone version back in 2015 when Suits was picked up for a third season.

Meghan has been gifted several items from Diana’s collection. They include Diana’s butterfly earrings and gold bracelet which she wore on their Australian tour in 2018.

Yet the watch is a favourite and she has been spotted wearing it often. The watch had been gifted to Diana by her father on her 21st birthday.

+5
View gallery

On May 10, Meghan was spotted wearing the AURate collar necklace with a chic white suit

Harry and Meghan were spotted arriving in Los Angeles on Monday after a marathon 18-hour flight from Nigeria amid a row over their charity’s operating status in California.

The couple, were pictured being whisked away by a car at Los Angeles International Airport’s ‘Private Suites’ facility.

The Duke and Duchess have called the semi-royal tour ‘fantastic’ and said it will be the ‘first of many memorable trips’ – which included a moment where Meghan hailed Nigeria as ‘her country’ after a DNA test suggested she was part-Nigerian.

They landed back in the United States a few hours before Californian authorities confirmed a ‘delinquency’ row involving their charitable endeavour, the Archewell Foundation, had been resolved following confusion over an unprocessed cheque.

California’s Department of Justice listed the charity, which brought in around $9million (£7.1million) less in donations in 2022 than it did the year before, as ‘not in good standing’ because of an alleged failure to pay a $200 renewal fee.