Prince Harry and Meghan Markle enjoyed a whirlwind trip to Nigeria over the weekend, but this meant they had missed a very special day with their children Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet.
Sunday marked Mother's Day in the US – something which the Duchess of Sussex would have no doubt enjoyed spending with her little ones.
© KOLA SULAIMONHowever, the former actress confessed she was very "humbled" to be in the African country despite "missing" Archie, five, and two-year-old Lilibet.
During a visit to the Lagos State Governor's Office, Meghan told guests: "I am very, very grateful, I am very humbled, and today is Mother's Day."
In a TikTok video shared by Arochukwu Network, the Duchess added: "So it feels appropriate, but though of course, we are missing our children, I'm missing my babies, but it feels very appropriate to be in the motherland and amongst family.
"So thank you so much for the kindness and for these beautiful names. I'm very grateful and we can't wait to come back."
On the day, Meghan paid tribute to her kids by wearing the same vibrant yellow Carolina Herrera dress that she previously donned for her son Archie's first birthday in 2020.
The meaningful gown, which was tailor-made for Meghan while she was pregnant with Archie, also featured in her pregnancy announcement with her daughter, Lilibet. Archie and Lili were clearly on their parents' minds throughout the visit.
© KOLA SULAIMONOn the first day of their mini tour during a visit to Lightway Academy in Abuja, a school supported by Harry and Meghan's Archewell Foundation, the couple stopped by a kindergarten class where children aged two to five danced and sang songs for them.
Prince Harry asked them: "Is singing and dancing your favourite class?" "That's Lili's favorite class," Meghan said of their two-year-old daughter. "Maybe it's all the jumping around."
The Sussexes were then taken to a STEM class where a group of youngsters showed the robot cars they'd created, with one proudly saying he was called M-Bot. As Harry asked the class whether they enjoyed electronics, Meghan revealed that their son Archie liked construction.
During their time at the school, Harry and Meghan helped to launch an inaugural mental health summit run by local non-profit, GEANCO, which the couple's Archewell Foundation is linked with.
Meghan also opened up about her Nigerian heritage when she was asked how she felt about being Nigerian. "Well, firstly, thank you all so much for being here. I am just flattered and honoured and inspired," she said at a Q&A event for Women in Leadership.
"It has been a whirlwind 24 hours since we arrived, and I very quickly got the memo than I need to wear more colour so I can fit in with all of you in your incredible fashion.
"I am very overwhelmed. So 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."
Mo Abudu, the panel's moderator and chief executive of EbonyLife media group, asked attendees to pick a Nigerian name for Meghan.
One member proposed "Ifeoma" a name used by the Igbo tribe meaning "a treasured thing." Other attendees suggested, "Omowale", meaning "the child has come home".
The former actress added the first thing she did when she found out her heritage was "call my mum, because I wanted to know if she had any awareness of it".
"It was exciting for both of us to discover more and understand what that really means," she said. Meghan then continued: "And every single moment that I hear anyone so far talk about what it means to be a Nigerian woman, it is the most flattering thing to be in that company, to be in your company."
LOVE THE ROYALS? JOIN THE CLUB!
If you are reading this, the chances are you are obsessed with all things royalty – which is just as well because so are we! So obsessed, in fact, we’ve launched a club solely dedicated to covering them. So welcome to The HELLO! Royal Club. We would love you to join us there…
What is it?
Interactive community offering behind-the-scenes access, exclusive royal interviews, unmissable royal insights, and an illustrious royal Inner Circle.
Member benefits
- Two weekly newsletters, one from Emily Nash
- Video posts and audio notes from Emily Nash and the HELLO! Royal team
- Access to our royal community and opportunity to interact with club writers and members
- Participate in polls, comments and discussion threads
- Royal-themed puzzles with a weekly prize to be won
- Access to our Ask Me Anything sessions with our journalists
- Invitations to in-person and virtual events
- A subscription to the digital edition of HELLO! Magazine (Worth £82 annually)*
- Future ‘Inner Circle’ benefits
By royal decree
You are royally invited to join The HELLO! Royal Club – and then to go forth and spread the word to your fellow royal fans. See you in the club!
