Meghan Markle and Prince Harry were left speechless on their whistlestop trip to Nigeria – after they were presented a very special gift from a talented local teenager.
Meghan Markle and Prince Harry have given fans a glimpse of what happened behind-the-scenes of their Nigeria visit.
During their high-profile visit to the African continent, we can reveal the Duchess of Sussex was left speechless by a gesture from young Grace Busari, 13. Meghan was overwhelmed when she was presented a pair of stunning hand-stitched teddy bears from 13-year-old Grace, daughter of CNN Nigeria Bureau chief and Senior Editor invited to join Meghan and Harry on their visit.
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AFP via Getty Images)
The cuddly toys from Grace’s line @graceteddies, made from traditional African print material, almost reduced Meghan to tears as she grabbed Stephanie, Grace’s proud mum for a hug. Stephanie, who was part of the Women in Business conference Meghan attended, opened up about the groundbreaking trip. She said: “Wow! That was the weekend that was! Flying to Abuja to cover the Duke and Duchess of Sussex visit, I truly didn’t know what to expect. I was very pleasantly surprised. They are fun, caring, loved up, compassionate, total naturals with a crowd. To see Harry sitting on the floor to play volleyball with disabled servicemen was something and he showed such compassion too during his hospital visit to Kaduna.
“It was a private visit but looked like a royal tour in all but name! So happy that Harry and Meghan visited Nigeria to shine a spotlight on the injured servicemen and women, Invictus Games and mental health — and to dispel a few myths about Nigeria being a dangerous place! Also wonderful to see Meghan celebrated and welcomed as per Naija girl! Welcome Omowale Ada Mazi Adetokunbo Amira. (Just a few of the names she has received while here!)”
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Anadolu via Getty Images)
Meanwhile, Grace opened up about the inspiration behind her bespoke toys. The young star, who used to live in London with her family before moving to Nigeria, said: “When I was 5, I moved to Nigeria with my mum, I cried when I saw children begging on the streets and I always knew I wanted to help them in any way I could. ”
“As I turned 9 on Nov 22 2019, I now have a chance to do that with the launch of my foundation and the #GraceTeddies brand, which will give money to support children on the streets for every teddy bear sold. Please buy and support @graceteddies and help a street child today by telling everyone about us. Thank you. ”