MEGHAN Markle called Nigeria “my country” after arriving an hour late for a speaking engagement.
Meghan left Harry behind to co-host a Women in Leadership event when friends revealed her husband was “deeply hurt” by not seeing the king while in the UK.
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The Sussexes are on the third of a three-day “fake royal” trip around the African nation – after visiting a war zone and playing volleyball.
But speaking at a World Trade Organization women’s event in the capital Abuja on Saturday, Meghan said Nigeria was “my country”.
After arriving an hour late, she said, “I want to start by thanking you all so much for your kindness in welcoming my husband and I to this country… my country.
“I am simply flattered, honored and inspired. It has been a turbulent 24 hours since we arrived.
“And I quickly got the memo that I need to wear more colors, so I can fit in with all of you and your amazing fashion.”
Meghan has spoken about her love of “beige” in previous interviews, telling a 2022 Netflix documentary: “When I was in the UK, I rarely wore color.
“I used a lot of soft tones… I also used them so I could blend in.”
Her joke comes after she discovered she was 43% Nigerian, according to a genealogical test.
After discovering her ancestry, she said she called her mother “because I wanted to know if she knew about it.”
She said the discovery was “exciting for both of us” because being African-American “is really not knowing much about your lineage or origin, where you come from specifically.”
The 42-year-old explained: “It was really eye-opening and rewarding to be able to find out more about my heritage and know that this is just the beginning of that discovery.”
The comments come as friends revealed Harry had made a request to King Charles to stay in a royal residence while in the UK this week.
The king reportedly agreed to host Harry during a three-day visit to London to promote the Invictus Games.
But for unknown reasons, the Duke of Sussex ended up staying in a hotel and missed the opportunity to see his “deeply hurt” father.
A friend told The Sunday Times: “This really surprises me. I was hoping they met.
CHILD’S COMPLIMENT
Meghan said her son Archie, five, and daughter Lilibet, two, are “very talkative”.
She told the WTO event on Saturday that she “loved being a mother” after being asked how she juggled her career with parenthood.
During the discussion, Meghan said the “balance” in her life has changed over the years.
She added how life looked different than it did ten years ago, before she got married and had two children.
She said: “What I think this means now is that this balance will always shift for you.
“This balance, which seemed balanced ten years ago, will change.”
“I know that’s what he wanted to happen and I don’t know when he’ll come back.”
Staying at a royal residence would have made seeing the king logistically easier for Harry – who were less than 3 miles away from each other on Wednesday.
The Sussexes touched down in the capital Abuja on Friday morning to promote the 2025 Invictus Games in Vancouver, Canada.
The event – which sees injured servicemen and women compete in a series of athletics events – was founded by Prince Harry and is celebrating its 10th anniversary this year.
The Sussexes began their “faux royal tour” with a visit to Lightway Academy, a primary and secondary school in the capital.
On Saturday, Harry showed off his competitive side at an Invictus Games sitting volleyball event – just days after Prince William also tried the sport.
It happened when the duo visited Nigeria’s defense headquarters on Friday to meet military wives and senior officials.
Harry received a portrait of his mother, Princess Diana, from the Nigerian government, as well as a painting from his 2018 wedding to Meghan.
He later visited a military hospital in war-torn Kaduna, about 200km north of Abuja.
The region has seen horrific fighting between nomadic Fulani herders and farmers, as well as an insurgency by Boko Haram Islamists.
While at the Nigerian Army’s 44th Referral Hospital, the Duke shook hands with about 50 injured soldiers and asked a bedridden hero if he had given his prosthetic leg a name.
While holding another man’s hand, Harry asked, “Are they helping you? Are you feeling better?”
The 39-year-old received a “big dress” and a hula hoop cap as a return home gift from Kaduna governor, Uba Sani.
The Duke and Duchess were welcomed to Lagos, Nigeria, on Sunday morning, at the start of the third day of their visit.
Harry and Meghan, dressed in a Caroline Herrera button-down shirt and a Nigerian skirt given to her, arrived for a typically boisterous and acrobatic dance performance.
One move even saw a boy thrown between two dancers. The couple gasped and clapped as the dancers were hoisted up and created human towers.
After arriving at Lagos airport from Abuja, they headed to a municipal school to participate in an event with the non-profit organization Giants of Africa.
This story originally appeared on The-sun.com read the full story
