Was Harry and Meghan’s Trip a Royal Tour?
Plus, a recap of their weekend engagements.
During three busy days of engagements in Nigeria for Prince Harry and Meghan, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, I heard the same question repeated several times: Was their trip a royal tour?
Officially, no. This was not a visit orchestrated by a government with a diplomatic agenda. Harry and Meghan traveled to Nigeria in a private capacity, invited by the country’s Chief of Defence Staff General Christopher Musa.
In many ways, however, the trip had the air — and the visuals — of a royal tour. There were dancers to greet the couple, posed photos with Nigerian officials, even a formal welcome with the military. The duke spent time with patients in a hospital while the duchess gathered a group of notable Nigerian public figures for a panel discussion. The fashion cadence felt tour-like, too, with outfit changes between engagements, a flag dressing moment featuring Meghan in white and Harry in green, as well as several looks worn by the duchess that incorporated Nigerian styles.
One key difference, however, gave this trip its own unique feel. Instead of the state business that drives an official royal tour, the heart of this visit was a charitable endeavor: the Invictus Games. The Sussexes traveled to Nigeria to highlight the country’s recent involvement with the adaptive sports tournament Harry began a decade ago. Nigeria country hopes to expand its team and bid to host the games in the future.
Beyond Invictus, the couple used their time in Nigeria to encourage open dialogue around mental health and promote women in leadership, two pillars of the work they do with the Archewell Foundation. It was also an opportunity for Meghan to explore her own Nigerian heritage.
There was an energy to the trip, and an embrace of the couple, that felt palpable — and productive. As the Sussexes seek to grow and expand their charitable work, they need to raise awareness of their efforts as well as fundraise, recruit, and organize. The couple knows well the attention their outings receive and the opportunity traveling like this presents. They also know how to put together an itinerary with a variety of engagements to maximize media coverage. The Sussexes did just that, flexing their considerable skills at soft power with aplomb.
ICYMI: I wrote about the first day here. Below, you will find a recap of the second and third days, including Meghan’s reflections on Nigerian women at her panel, Harry’s take on the role of sports in recovery, and what people who met the couple had to say. (“It means the whole world to us that they are here,” one shared.)
💭 Did this trip feel like a royal tour to you? Please click below to share your thoughts in the comments.
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Stay tuned! Still to come this week: An essay from Nigerian-American Dr. Adebola Olayinka with her take on the trip, as well as my fashion commentary on all eight of Meghan’s outfits.
