The Duke and Duchess of Sussex will arrive in Nigeria on Friday following Harry’s three day visit to the UK during which he did not meet either his father or his brother.
It will be the first trip to the West African country for both Harry and Meghan and follows Meghan’s recent revelation that she has Nigerian ancestry.
The couple had received an invitation from Nigeria’s Defence Ministry when they were at the last Invictus Games tournament in Germany.
Nigeria has expressed an interest in hosting the Games in the future and the Sussexes will attend a number of military events during their stay in the country.
Prince Harry founded the Invictus Games for wounded and sick military personnel in 2014.
It’s since been held in cities across the world including Sydney, Toronto and The Hague.
This week, Harry travelled alone to the UK for the tenth anniversary service of Invictus at St Paul’s Cathedral but Meghan deciding to avoid the trip to London.
But in Nigeria, the Duke and Duchess will be back together in the capital Abuja and will meet the country’s Chief of Defence Staff as well as travel north to Kaduna to visit wounded Nigerian soldiers.
Prince Harry will watch a sitting volleyball match for wounded veterans and Meghan also has her own programme of events away from the Invictus Games.
She will co-host a Women in Leadership event with the first woman and first African to serve as Director-General of the World Trade Organisation, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala.
Some have already called their visit a “mini royal tour” the irony of which will not be lost on Harry’s family in London, given they chose to leave the Royal Family and set up a new life in California.
On Sunday, Harry and Meghan will fly to Lagos on the west coast where they will attend a “basketball clinic” called Giants of Africa at a local school and be the guests at a cultural reception of prominent Nigerians.
Although King Charles has visited Nigeria before – as Prince of Wales – he’s not been able to visit Nigeria, a Commonwealth country, since he became Monarch.
The King and Harry did not find time to meet when Harry was in London despite being at events just two miles from each other.
Harry’s office issued a statement blaming his father’s schedule, saying Charles was too busy with other commitments to see his son.
This is the Royal Rota – our weekly podcast about the royal family, with ITV News Royal Editor Chris Ship and Producer Lizzie Robinson.
