Prince Harry completed his brief trip to England and joined his wife, Meghan Markle, in Nigeria, where the two kicked off their three-day visit of the country today. Meghan began the tour wearing two quiet-luxury looks, featuring pieces from designers including Lanvin and Altuzarra.
The couple first visited Lightway Academy in Abuja, Nigeria, for its inaugural mental health summit. Meghan wore a peach-colored maxi dress by Heidi Merrick with vintage Lanvin earrings, Emme Parsons sandals, an Ariel Gordon bracelet, and an Aurate necklace, per the Meghan Markle fashion account, @whatmeghanwore. She accessorized with a Cartier watch and bracelet.
Harry spoke to students at the school about the importance of discussing mental health, leading Meghan to tell them after, “You see why I’m married to him?”
He told them:
If I say mental health, do you know what it means? In some cases around the world, in more than you would believe, there is a stigma when it comes to mental health. Too many people don’t want to talk about it ‘cause it’s invisible. It’s something in our mind that we can’t see. It’s not like a broken leg, it’s not like a broken wrist.
It’s something that we are still relatively unsure of. But guess what? Every single person in this room, the youngest, the oldest, every single person has mental health. So therefore, you have to look after yourself to be able to look after other people. And other people have to be able to look after themselves, to look after you. That’s the way it works. And there is no shame to be able to acknowledge that today is a bad day, okay?
[If] you woke up this morning feeling sad, [if] you left school feeling stressed, [if] you’ve lost a loved one in your family, and you don’t know who you talk to or who to speak to, all of these things you may be led to believe are not for conversation. We are here today to tell you that that is not the case. Every single one of those things is completely normal. It is a human reaction, whether it’s grief, stress, whatever the feeling is, it comes from an experience that you have had. You can have it. She can have it. I can have it. They can have it. Every single one of us is likely to have that on any given day. So if, if you take anything away from today, just know that mental health affects every single person in the entire world.
And the more you talk about it, the more you can kick stigma away, far, far away into long grass, and then everybody will have the opportunity to be able to share how they’re feeling, how they’re coping, and then you can help other people. So will you promise to us that after today, no more being scared, no more being unsure of mental health? If you are unsure, then ask. Ask your teachers. Ask your friends. Be there for one another. If you see your friend in your class not smiling, what are you gonna do? You gonna check in with them? Are you gonna ask him if they’re okay? ‘Cause it’s okay not to be okay.
Meghan and Harry then went to the Defense Headquarters, where Chief of Defense Staff Christopher Musa formally welcomed the couple to the country. Meghan changed into a white Altuzarra pantsuit for that meeting.
The couple signed the visitors book there, and Meghan paid homage to her Nigerian heritage, writing, “With gratitude for the support of the Invictus [Games] community. And for welcoming me home.”
Harry admired her calligraphy and said, “She has beautiful handwriting,” per the trip’s pool reporter.
Tomorrow, Meghan and Harry will attend a training session for the organization Nigeria: Unconquered, according to People. Meghan will co-host a women in leadership event with Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, the director general of the World Trade Organization, in the afternoon. In the evening, the couple will attend a reception hosted by the chief of defense staff to honor military families.
On Sunday, the last day of the trip, the duke and duchess “will attend a basketball clinic with Giants of Africa, a cultural reception, and a polo fundraiser for Nigeria: Unconquered,” People wrote.
